Village of Greene gathers for annual Labor Day Picnic

GREENE, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Thousands of people spent their Labor Day together in the Village of Greene, carrying on an over century long-holiday tradition.

Families were off of work because of the holiday and chose to spend it in downtown Greene for the Village’s 105th annual Labor Day Picnic.

The festivities began with a parade through downtown this morning, and featured local firefighters, farmers, cheerleaders, and a bunch of vintage cars.

Following the parade, the crowd walked to the Greene Ball Flats to continue the festivities.

The president of the Labor Day Picnic Association, Todd Messinger says, especially with today’s beautiful weather, they expected to see upwards of 9,000 people throughout the day.

“But the biggest thing is, all of this is done by volunteers. So, the community comes together and it goes back to the community. All of the proceeds from this go back into the community, to the youth programs, to having this park, to fixing up our town. So, this has been an a community event and we couldn’t have done it without all of the volunteers, and I want to thank all of the volunteers that come down,” he says.

The Greene Rotary Club sponsors the event every year.

There’s carnival games, festival food, an antique car show, free pony rides, kickball, and the fan favorite Bingo tent.

Messinger says the 5K race held before the parade, continues to grow in popularity.

He says the picnic’s planning committee has members of all ages, so its the perfect balance of new and old traditions.

“We want to build our community and make this a continuum of the tradition that we’ve had for 105 years. Now, we bring new things in here and there, some of the old things have gone away as we have over time. But, that tradition is families, and that’s what always comes down through.”

Messinger says there was over 100 cars in this year’s car show.

He says that all of the funds raised through the picnic, are distributed back into the community in the form of donations, scholarships, and other investments.

And to cap off the holiday, bring a lawn chair or a blanket, to watch the fifteen minute fireworks display beginning at 8:45 pm tonight.

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