It wasn't just people in the news business that had to be on the clock. But for most, it was a beautiful day to be outdoors and carefree.

It was a hard day of work for kids on the merry-go-round or a father pushing the swing for his young daughter at Westside Park.

It was a special day for Rachel Greenhut, celebrating her sixth birthday with some friends.

"I want to the park today and I played with my friends so much," says Rachel. "I was lucky."

When she goes back to school tomorrow, math is her favorite subject, but she says it's easier to play at the park.

It's a great day for Rachel's mom Sharon who is a teaching assistant at a preschool.

"The best part is having the day off work," says Sharon Greenhut. "I'm going to be serious about that."

If you're driving by the Alachua Library, you may be a little confused by the sign that says "Library Open." But all government buildings are closed to celebrate the holiday.

But some places like Floyd's Diner in High Springs are open. In fact, it's standing room only. Waitress Ellen Green says it's been swamped since 11 in the morning. Which means she's had to be hard at work even on Labor Day. But she says the extra tips make the extra labor worth it.

"It doesn't bother me at all," says Green. "I'll take tomorrow off."

One set of customers is Deborah Cowan's family. Deborah got the day off from classes at Santa Fe Community College, but that doesn't mean she didn't have work to do.

"I love labor day," says Cowan. "It's homework time, every teacher just comes to give homework over labor day but other than that, just to get to chill, eat a lot of junk food."

According to the Department of Labor, a Labor Day holiday was first observed in 1882 on a Tuesday. About 10- thousand union members marched in a parade to a New York City park where there were speeches, a concert and a picnic. The tradition started from there and grew until Congress made it a national holiday in 1894.

By Dan Breitwieser, WCJB TV20 News