One of the first changes will be the elimination of the baby and infant pageant this year.
Organizers said they were going to drop that portion of the event in order to protect families and the children.The pageant for the older girls will be held Aug. 22 but it will be at The Briefcase next to the First Family Federal Credit Union downtown office.
Also cancelled this year will be the f turtle race and frog jumping contests. Those events traditionally bring several hundred participants and parents together in tight proximity to each other. Still up in the air is a decision by the fire department on the fish scramble.
Labor Day organizer Linda Gerster said the parade will be held as usual but, with COVID issues affecting the schools, only a couple of bands, Henryetta and Dewar will be part of the celebration. The parade will start at 10 a.m. on Main Street.
This year social distancing will also affect the annual Democratic party luncheon that is usually held at the civic center.
Gerster said the event is held to give politicians, both Democratic and Republicans, an opportunity to meet voters and speak about their platforms.
Plans call for the dinner to be a box lunch event with participants gathering int he park south of the civic center. Speakers will be addressing the crowds from the stage built into the south side of the civic center.
Both the youth games Labor Day afternoon and the carnival that runs Thursday through Monday will still be held. The youth games are held at the high school baseball field which gives participants room to be apart from each other.
The fireworks and parade winner announcements will be held Monday evening at the football field.
“We know there are some major changes this year,” Gerster said. “The annual Labor Day event is something people look forward to and is a tradition in Henryetta and Oklahoma. We don’t want to cancel such a great event but still keep everyone as safe as possible.”
She urged those attending the events to wear masks and practice social distancing as much as possible.
Leading up to the Monday activities will be the car show sponsored by First Family Federal Credit Union and the Jim Shoulders Living Legends PRCA rodeo. Both will be held at Nichols Park. The car show will be held Saturday and the rodeo will see performances Saturday and Sunday nights.
Still on tap for Sunday will be the Love Wins horseshoe pitching contest. It will be at 1:30 at the corner of East Trudgeon and North B Street. Registration will be held from noon to 1:15.
