What to know for Labor Day: Weather, travel, gas prices and more

Several city offices and services across Columbia will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

According to a news release from the city, public transit will not be operating and parking enforcement will be suspended. The city of Columbia offices will be closed, as will administrative offices for Columbia police and the Columbia Fire Department.

Emergency services will remain in operation.

Recycling and trash collection will not be operational on Monday and will be delayed by a day for the rest of the week. According to the release, the landfill will also be closed.

For those looking to spend the day off at the pool, the Activity and Recreation Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., while the Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center will be open for its regular hours of noon to 5 p.m. After Labor Day weekend, the aquatic center will close for the season.

Columbia City Council, which normally meets on the first Monday of the month, will instead meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Weather, gas prices and travel

The weather forecast for the holiday is consistent with the recent heat: partly cloudy, with a high of 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fortunately for those hoping to travel for the weekend, gas prices have recently dropped down from their summer highs. As of Wednesday, the average price for regular gas in Missouri is $3.44 a gallon, 40 cents below the national average and down 5 cents from just last week.

Prices remain higher than they were at this time last year — when the average price was $2.84 a gallon — but they are far below what they hit earlier this year. On Memorial Day weekend in May, the average was $4.17 per gallon, 68% above the current price.

A national survey by AAA found that 32% of all Americans are planning to travel for Labor Day weekend, Nick Chabarria, the spokesperson for AAA Missouri, said. Of those, 80% plan to travel by car, he said.

“A majority of folks have changed their driving habits here this summer, a AAA survey found, because of the higher gas prices,” Chabarria said. “But that’s not deterring folks taking leisure trips and taking the vacations they probably missed out on the past couple of years.”

Ahead of the busy weekend, AAA Missouri started a campaign called “Move Over, Slow Down — Save a Life” to remind Missourians that the law requires drivers to get out of the way of emergency services vehicles.

Community events

The Columbia Track Club will be holding the 63rd annual Heart of America Marathon on Labor Day. The marathon will follow a 26.2-mile course starting and ending at the Boone County History and Culture Center at Nifong Park. The race has taken place annually on the holiday since 1960.

Oak Spirit Sanctuary, a pagan church and nature sanctuary located in Boonville, will be holding an event called Harvest Homecoming to welcome the harvest season over the weekend. Plans include a chili cook-off and musical performances. The event will be outdoors and admission is free for children.