) ( ) Good Morning Family! .-.,--^--. ( Come on in. . . \\|`----'| - The coffee pot's on. . . \| |// ...and we even have decaf, | |/ tea, and hot chocolate! \ / ------ Today's topics include: 1. Welcome to new cousins 2. A new family is added 3. Labor Day quiz TO OUR NEWEST COUSINS ~~ On behalf of the entire family, I'd like to extend a most hearty welcome to those cousins who came into the family fold this past week. We are very glad to have you with us and hope you'll stay and remain a part of our online family. As soon as you're comfortable with us and the list, please send in your Bower[s], Bauer or Baur lines so we can all see how we're related to you. We do not have a fancy format for sending in records or queries to the list. Post as many as you wish! If the data has anything to do with Bower[s], Bauer or Baur ancestors or any of the 81+ variant spellings we research that might help someone, please feel free to post it. Every scrap of information is appreciated. If you haven't visited the homesite of this list yet, you are encouraged to do so. Our home is Bower Community, located at <http://bowercommunity.com>. There, we currently have two sites: The Bower Family Homestead [a.k.a., the Homestead] is our primary homesite and the gathering place for much of our information. It waits to join us all in welcoming you into the family at <http://bowercommunity.com/homestead>. Smaller is our sister site, the Bower Cottage, which houses most of our projects including an online GEDCOM fed by quite a few cousins from our research groups. Find the Cottage is at <http://bowercommunity.com/cottage>. A NEW FAMILY IS ADDED Yep, effective today, another of our variant spellings is added to the 'B' Consortium and that group is the BOWRA-L. Next Sunday our welcome message will be altered to reflect their addition to our family. When you research for our surnames, please add the Bowra surname to your list. They had no archived messages until I took the list over 2 weeks ago. They now have a few. Cousins, help me to help them, will you please? LABOR DAY QUIZ As is true with just about all our holidays, over the years Labor Day has evolved from its intended purpose of celebration into a "last fling of summer" festival. Originally, speeches were given by prominent men and women who placed emphasis on the economic, spiritual and civil significance of this holiday. Labor organizations sponsored activities to pay tribute to workers' contributions and honor the strength, prosperity and well-being of the country. Speeches were followed by massive displays and huge parades. After a while, the large industrial centers tired of these unwieldy celebrations. Today, Labor Day has come to be recognized as the unofficial end of the summer season as vacationers take one last advantage of the waning hot season while September presses in to mark the beginning of autumn. In many parts of the U.S., a student's summer vacation season ends with Labor Day. Many colleges and schools begin clases immediately after Labor Day. So, let's see what you know about this holiday. This five-question quiz should perk you right up this morning! :) 1. What is the reason for celebrating Labor Day? 2. When was Labor Day first celebrated? 3. What U.S. President proclaimed the first national observance of Labor Day? 4. In what year did Congress make Labor Day a national holiday? 5. Do any other countries celebrate Labor Day? If so, name at least 3 of them. Well, how'd you do? (You'll find the answers at the very bottom of today's Coffee.) Today's Coffee is a brief one, and for that I apologize. I have in-life family commitments today, but wanted to spend at least a little time with all of you. To you September babies - the cousins and I wish you a very happy and exciting year ahead. Happy Birthday! You are loved! Family ... it's what we're all about. Thank you for allowing me to spend this time with you today. I wish each of you a week filled with health, productivity, fun, and above all, filled with love. ) ( ) _.-~~-. (@\'--'/. Colleen ('``.__.'`) `..____.' (Answers to Labor Day Quiz) 1. It's a day to honor the working class. 2. September 5, 1882 in New York City with a 10,000-worker parade. 3. Grover Cleveland 4. 1894. The States of Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey had already declared it a state holiday in 1887. 5. Canada, Puerto Rico, Virgin Island, the Canal Zone