HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Labor Day is meaningful for different reasons depending on who you ask.
“It’s a great time to spend with family,” Jessica Swicegood said.
“Enjoyment,” Taylor Altman said. “My children are really happy out here today.”
“It’s great to have an extra day off for the weekend,” Kolby Hayes said.
For Mechanicsville resident Jake Morrison, Labor Day is about taking advantage of the last official day of summer, but also a day of firsts.
“It’s my first time out and I’m just trying to soak everything in,” Morrison said.
But what's most important to this father of three is that he got to spend another day out with his boys.
“I’ve got a six-year-old, a four-year-old and a three-year-old, Morrison said. “Their mother had them here over the weekend so they were just itching to come back.”
Morrison and his boys joined hundreds of families and other individuals at the skate park at the recently opened Taylor Farm Park. The area was packed with children and adults alike displaying a wide variety of skill levels.
Morrison said it was a great venue for him and his three sons to take life by the handlebars and soak in one final summer ride before settling into a routine.
“You couldn’t ask for a better day either,” Morrison said. “My oldest he kind of took it upon himself. He wanted to learn how to ride the bike and he kind of started out in the front yard and took some spills in the grass and then got his confidence up and now he’s doing pretty good.”
While progress is important Morrison said that the learning process is key for his youngest sons.
“The younger two, they’re on those push bikes,” Morrison said. “They’re just so independent man that they just kind of carve their own path.”
But most of all, he says Monday was simply about being present while rolling with the hills, weaving in and out of crowds, and taking the falls as they come.
“It’s very tough to keep track of all three when they want to go in all different places, Morrison said.
“It might be a little crowded, but you get to see a glimpse of what the community has to offer in the years to come,” Hayes said.
“It’s great it’s awesome it’s everything. These days don’t last forever so the fact that we’ve got a place like this,” Morrison said.
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