It’ll be a full weekend of fun in Santa Paula with a trio of family friendly events to help celebrate the holiday.
Friday’s Cruise Nite, First Sunday of the Month at Santa Paula Airport and the 7th Annual Labor Day Parade will give you plenty of fun and free activities to be enjoyed by the entire family.
Cruise Nite will be held in Downtown Santa Paula Friday evening, offering hundreds of pre-1975 cars and trucks, live entertainment and plenty of strolling with - and trolling for - friends. First Sunday at the Santa Paula Airport will open the doors to the Chain of Hangars Museum, dozens of exhibits, and plenty of shopping from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. And Monday at 10 a.m. the 7th Annual Santa Paula Labor Day Parade, one of the few such processions in the state, will step out on 7th Street for a Main Street march to Mill Street and award ceremony held at the Gazebo.
Friday night is Cruise Nite, the original regular car show held in Ventura County now in its 13th season of offering dazzling cars, great music, socializing and enjoying plenty of fun places to eat in historic Downtown Santa Paula. It is held from April to October, and has even garnered honors as the Ventura Reporter’s 25th Annual “Best of” Car Shows although it is much, much more.
Friday’s Cruise Nite will feature the Cruise Knights band, one of the best and most popular around. Cruise Nite starts at about 5 p.m. or so - many who display vehicles come hours early to find a parking space - and ends at dark.
It being a “first” weekend also brings out antique and vintage aircraft and the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula being open to the public for tours. Every First Sunday of the month, the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula Airport is the big attraction. Local aviation history comes alive when the Santa Paula Airport’s famous Chain of Hangars is opened for visitors to explore. There is no admission fee, and each hangar has a unique focus and display.
Visitors that enter the airport through the gates at the intersection of Santa Maria and 8th streets can pick up a free map from the Aviation Museum’s Gift Hangar - filled with hundreds of unique items, all with an aviation flair - and start the self guided tour, whether on foot or by catching the tram.
Dianne and Dudley Davis are the grand marshals of the 7th Annual Labor Day Parade sponsored by the Rotary Club of Santa Paula, Labor Day Parade Committee and city. Work is a labor of love for the Davises, who not only provide employment and opportunities for many others, but also set a strong example of community service.
On September 5 at 10 a.m. the Davises will lead the parade on East Main Street that steps out on 7th Street, hangs a left onto Mill Street and ends at the Gazebo facing East Santa Barbara Street.
One of the few such processions in the nation, the Labor Day Parade each years draws individuals, groups, bands, equestrians, youth, students, unions, families - anyone who works to celebrate labor by marching along. Spectators line both sides of the street to enjoy the show that serves a dual purpose, to offer entertainment and to honor the working men and women of America.
This year’s Labor Day will fall on the actual anniversary of the holiday, celebrated the first time on September 5, 1882 in New York City.
