‘Then came Labor Day’

The four-word phrase on this postcard from the Delaware Public Archives’ Caley Postcard Collection says “Then came Labor Day,” with a photograph showing a wide-open beach. That’s the way it used to be. The day after Labor Day, seasonal businesses would put a closed sign in the window and pack up until next year. As we all know, that’s certainly not the case anymore. Labor Day is now just the beginning of a second season that lasts until at least the Sea Witch Festival in October. With tax-free shopping along Route 1 and other shoulder season attractions, weekends often remain busy through the winter holidays before picking back up around St. Patrick’s Day in mid-March.