May Day is Friday and there is no shortage of gatherings to attend if you are of a mind.
In Mexico, May 1 is Labor Day and some Utahns have again chosen the date for a rally in support of immigration reform (Liberty Park from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.), one of many planned across the country. A similar May Day immigration reform rally in 2006 brought tens of thousands to Salt Lake City streets.
For those unable to celebrate International Workers Day on Friday (because they are working and the good ol’ U.S.A. which celebrates Labor Day in the non-commie month of September) there are events Saturday as well.
The IWW in Salt Lake City has organized an International Workers Day celebration for Pioneer Park (1p.m. to 6 p.m.) with sponsorship of many local unions and organizations such as Equality Utah. The event promises to introduce you to “the new faces of labor” with scheduled speakers on universal health care, moves in Congress to ease union organization, gay workers rights and immigration.
Unlike his predecessor Mayor Ralph Becker is unlikely to speak at the labor event. There are two city functions scheduled the same day. Salt Lake City and the Utah Heritage Foundation have set aside May 2 for a celebration of historic preservation. An announcement about “Celebrate the City: 1894” (3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the City County Building) says: “grounds will be transformed into an atmosphere of a late-19th century carnival where children and adults will experience barbershop quartets, brass bands, tethered hot air balloon rides …”
Saturday morning there is a Bike Summit at Salt Lake City Main Library (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) to help set city bicycle policy.