RECTOR, Ark. (KAIT) – Labor Day is about celebrating America’s workforce, and in one Northeast Arkansas town, an event surrounding that carries on.
The annual Rector Labor Day Picnic was held on Monday at the community center and city park.
It was a day of parades full of fire trucks, police cars, and political candidates.
Along with the parade, the picnic features political speeches, carnival rides, and down-home country cooking.
When speaking to younger attendees, all agreed the carnival rides were the best part of the event.
Sarah Bornhoft was part of the parade with a local church. She said you couldn’t get much better than this event.
“I’ve seen so many people just smiling and dancing with us and singing along, and it’s just so awesome to spread God’s word like this,” said Bornhoft.
After the parade at 9 am on Monday, everyone made their way to the park, where everything was set up for the political speeches portion of the day’s events.
There were lots of candidates, stretching from municipal to Little Rock.
Arkansas Governor Candidates Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Chris Jones (D) were represented in the parade.
Democratic Candidate Chris Jones was the only one to attend the event in person.
He said it’s crucial to show Arkansans who their elected officials are.
“For me, I want to serve all Arkansans. Whether you’re republican, independent, no party, or democrat, I want to lift up all of Arkansas,” said Jones.
When asked for his thoughts on his opponent not being at today’s festivities, he didn’t hold back.
“To me, you have to show up, and my opponents are not showing up. She sent some folks here, but she’s not here. But that’s a fairly consistent theme of her not showing up for Arkansans,” said Jones. “To me, the most important time to show up is when you’re doing the job interview. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m talking to Arkansans, and that’s the choice we have in this race.”
Event organizers say they are looking forward to next year’s events.
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