Thursday, September 02, 1999
Labor Day is summer's final 'full party time'
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Go gentle into that good fall. But not before carving off one last slice of summer fun — the Labor Day weekend.
For many, that means joining the near-record number of motorists expected on the nation's highways, despite average gas prices of $1.26 per gallon, 18 cents more than those on last Labor Day.
For others, that means a final swing at Greater Cincinnati's most popular recreation spots, including Paramount's Kings Island, The Beach waterpark and Coney Island, which shift to limited autumn schedules after Monday.
For all, the three-day holiday means a reminder of heat and humidity, as befits this summer's twilight. Temperatures are expected to hit the low 90s, with a mix of clouds and a nod to the humidity that made July and August so uncomfortable.
And of course, for about a half-million people, that means Riverfest.
“Full party time. Why not, right?” Janice Miller said Wednesday of the weekend's events on both sides of the Ohio River and Sunday night's fireworks display.
The Springfield Township grandmother and about 20 relatives will converge Sunday on the back deck of Mrs. Miller's childhood home in Bellevue, where her niece, Kathy Armesleger, now lives. The deck has a sweeping view of the Ohio River.
While Riverfest is an old standard for Greater Cincinnati residents, it's new to Michelle Jackson of English Woods, a native of eastern Ohio.
The 27-year-old criminal justice major at the University of Cincinnati said Wednesday she just moved here and had only a vague plan for a barbecue with friends.
That changed after a brief summary of the weekend's offering. She's going to Riverfest. “I'm definitely going to check that out,” she said while resting on a downtown bench.
Monday is the last regular day at Coney Island. Coney will reopen to the public Sept. 18-19 for Countdown 2000 and Sept. 25-26 for Autumn Celebration.
After this weekend, Kings Island will not reopen until Sept. 26, then again for weekends in October.
Meanwhile, an estimated 34.8 million Americans are expected to travel 100 miles or more this Labor Day weekend, according to the American Automobile Club (AAA). That's the second-highest total ever, trailing only the 34.9 million Americans that hit the road on Labor Day 1997.
Holiday travel by air, bus, rail and ship is expected to reach 5.6 million, an increase of almost 6 percent from last year's Labor Day weekend. Travel projections are based on a national survey of 1,500 adults by the Travel Industry Association.
Average gas prices are up 8 cents from last month.
Requests for TripTiks have been especially high for Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in South Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Riverfront designers may take cue from Louisville
Sheriff filed dozens of lawsuits
Sheriff Leis no stranger to political controversy
Whose fault is it when we lose doctors?
Ex-Miami students found not guilty
Riverfest solution may be the bus
Labor Day is summer's final 'full party time'
Study links gene with blood clots
Subpoenas issued over Booth residence
Insurers win in legal opinion
Mahoney case puts focus on DUI law
Teacher union wants to recruit for CPS
Emissions tests start after 5-year delay
Second hidden pregnancy causes family new anguish
Slices of not-so-ordinary life in Northern Ky.
Airport operators plead guilty
Arrest no solace to victim's family
Cincinnati SAT verbal score rises
City officials woo Chabot
Clogged Ky. 16 defies easy fixes
Orange barrels demand a polka
Sculpture takes viewers online
Naked Cowboy gets even more exposure
GET TO IT
Governor's race prime political entertainment
Acclaim for Middletown 'dynamo'
Arlington mayor race heating up
Boone development: Draw a line?
Burglary call leads to marijuana drug bust
Cleveland suburb starts writing tickets for phoning while driving
College math hard for grads
Deters: Turn tobacco pact into cash
Fairfield to conduct citizens police course
Ludlow mayor denied his say
School cafeteria's gone; cafe is in
TRISTATE DIGEST
Upcoming: updated uptown Oxford
Volunteers labor to finish park
