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Rushford Labor Day Parade 2026

September 7, 2026 / Jon Stone

Dark brown dog wearing a tie-dye bandana trots across a sunny grass yard with a red frisbee clamped in its mouth, tail raised, moving toward a person in dark pants whose legs are visible from the waist down in the right foreground.

A white compact car decorated with yellow ribbon flowers on the door and red bows on the mirror, parked next to a large cardboard sign reading "BE A SMARTIE / JOIN A UNION" in colorful painted letters. Tote bags leaning against the front tire are labeled "SUGAR," "WORKERS RIGHTS," and partial text, while a person in a pink head wrap stands behind the trunk, and a driver in a red shirt and baseball cap sits inside.

Woman in a red "University Professions" t-shirt and red bandana leans over the hood of a white SUV loaded with Dunkin' bags and cups, while a second person in dark red stands to the left in conversation. On the ground by the front tire, three tote bags read "Sugar Splices," "Sugar Workers Rights," and "Sugar."

A white pickup truck decorated with colorful ribbon pompoms and looped yarn in pink, yellow, blue, and red, bearing a banner that reads "CALC / Cattaraugus Allegany Liberation Collective / Solidarity * Cooperation * Justice." In the background, participants in red shirts handle white bags, blurred in the shallow depth of the background.

A teal glitter pinwheel labeled "PINWHEEL" mounted on a white stick sits atop a car's trunk or door, alongside a rolled pastel candy log, a white looping toy, and a tray of wrapped candies — a trunk-or-treat setup in bright afternoon sun, with a child in red and a red bandana blurred in the shallow background left.

Outdoor event on a wooden platform lined with decorative oversized lollipop props and white, yellow, and pastel balloons floating overhead. Several people in black "NYSUT" shirts work the booth, including one in sunglasses whose shirt reads "ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH," while a person in a red shirt and bucket hat bends forward in the foreground. Dense trees and a parked dark truck are visible in the background.

Two women in black shirts work alongside a wooden parade float decorated with oversized lollipop props and clusters of pastel balloons — pink, mint, white, blue, and yellow — floating against a clear midday sky, with trees, rooftops, and a utility pole visible in the background.

Two people in matching red "UUP – United University Professions" shirts stand on either side of a white SUV at what appears to be a parade or outdoor event, an American flag mounted to the vehicle between them. Behind them, a van decorated with American flags, a 101st Airborne decal, and a "Who Served" banner is parked on the road, with tree-covered hills visible in the background.

Parade float pulled by a dark pickup truck, decorated with candy-themed ornaments — glittery bells, pinwheel lollipops, and oversized lollipop props — and clusters of white, yellow, and blue balloons. Adults in navy "NYSUT" t-shirts stand on the wooden flatbed alongside young children; a black sign in the foreground reads "TEACHER & SUPPORT STAFF UNIONS OF ALLEGANY COUNTY," and a blue "NYSUT" placard is visible on the left rail. A brick building and dense trees sit in the shadowed background.

A Labor Day parade scene on a sunny street, with a candy-themed float on the left carrying children and decorated with lollipops and rainbow fringe, bearing a sign reading "Nobody Better Lay a Finger on My Union Rights." Two marchers in matching black shirts reading "One Job Should Be Enough" walk alongside a woman pushing a double stroller. To the right, a group in yellow shirts marches behind a banner reading "Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America Local 276," with colorful balloons overhead and a brick institutional building in the background.

Outdoor labor day parade along a street, with a group of people in yellow shirts carrying a white banner reading "United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America — Local 276," an American flag printed at center. Behind them, a decorated float with colorful balloons and a sign reading "Start Your Career With [Carpenters]" follows the procession, with a red brick building to the left and dense trees lining the background under a clear blue sky.

Three people in matching red UUP shirts hold a banner reading "Alfred Chapter / uup / United University Professions" at what appears to an outdoor event, with a partial American flag visible behind them. A fourth person in a tie-dye shirt stands at the left edge of the frame, and a New York license plate reading "LFP-1998" is visible on a car in the middle ground, with dense green trees filling the background.

Workers in bright orange LiUNA shirts march down a street carrying a black banner reading "LABORERS' LOCAL 621 LiUNA! Feel the Power — Allegany · Cattaraugus · Chautauqua / LABORERS' LOCAL 621 OLEAN, NY." Behind them, a crowd in red shirts follows alongside an IBEW banner, with a brick fire station and parked vehicles in the background.

Group of people in matching red t-shirts marching in a parade, carrying a large white banner with red trim reading "IBEW LOCAL UNION 1249 / PROUD TO BE UNION" with union logos and "Syracuse, NY" visible at the top. A man at center-rear speaks into a microphone, while a brick building with a ladder and dense green trees fill the background.

Fluffy brown-and-white dog on a red leash and collar, standing on bright green grass, wearing a hand-drawn sign that reads "NUTS ABOUT UNIONS" with an illustrated peanut on a purple background flanked by two small cartoon figures.

Group of people riding in the bed of a white flatbed truck, most wearing matching red "LABOR DAY IBEW 249" t-shirts, with dense green trees filling the background. A driver and passenger are visible through the windshield below, and a blonde woman in red sunglasses faces forward among the group on the truck bed.

Dense cluster of cleavers or similar whorled-leaf plants, their star-shaped leaf arrangements beaded with water droplets that catch the light, filling the entire frame in layered shades of deep and bright green, with bokeh from the droplets glowing softly across the blurred background.

Three people in red UUP shirts hold a white banner reading "ALFRED CHAPTER / uup / United University Professions / www.uupinfo.org • Follow the union @uupinfo" in a parade setting, with a decorated car and a large white truck behind them carrying more red-shirted participants. Trees and brick buildings frame the background under a bright sky.

A small-town parade in progress, with a white pickup truck decorated in colorful ribbons, bows, and streamers moving down a sunny street — a man in a pink cap and teal shirt stands in the truck bed. Marchers ahead wear red shirts and a tie-dye tee, carrying a banner, while a bright pink sign on the right reads "LORD LICORICE HATES UNIONS" in bold purple letters. Trees, a barn-style building, and an American flag are visible in the background.

Parade marchers in matching red "IUP University Professions" shirts carry a partially visible banner along a sunny street marked with a "Rushford 9100" sign, while a crowd lines the grass to the left and a yellow construction vehicle and more red-shirted participants ride on a float in the background. A person in a tie-dye shirt walks at the far right, and green trees frame the blue sky above.

A parade participant in a tie-dye shirt holds a pink sign reading "OUR LABOR BUILT CANDYLAND" while walking alongside a decorated white vehicle bearing a banner for "CALC — Cattaraugus - Alle[gheny] Liberation Collec[tive]" with the tagline "Solidarity * Cooperation * Justic[e]." A person in a pink cap sits atop the vehicle, and onlookers line the background beneath a canopy of trees.

A small group of protesters marching along a street, holding pink and teal picket signs reading "SWEETEN WORKER BENEFITS NOW!" and "SWEETEN JOBS NOT CEO PAY." The man in the foreground wears an olive t-shirt reading "Support Local Everything" and khaki shorts; behind him, a woman in a red dress holds a candy cane-striped sign handle. A white vehicle to the right bears a "Bruce Blakeman / Todd Hood" campaign sign, and a "Don's Septic Service" billboard is visible on the chain-link fence in the background.

Outdoor parade scene on a sunny street, with marchers carrying bright pink and blue protest signs reading "SWEETEN WORKER BENEFITS NOW!," "SWEETEN JOBS NOT CEO PAY," and "OUR LABOR BUILT CANDYLAND." In the foreground, a person in a tie-dye shirt and pink sunglasses walks a brown-and-white dog on a teal leash beside a white pickup truck decorated with colorful streamers and a banner reading "CALC — Cattaraugus-Allegany Liberation Collective — Solidarity... Justice." A person stands through the truck's sunroof; dense green trees and parade onlookers fill the background.

Parade participants walk behind a pickup truck down a tree-lined small-town road, carrying bright pink signs reading "SUGAR, SPICE, & WORKERS' RIGHTS," "SWEETEN WORKER BENEFITS NOW," and "SEIZE THE MEANS OF CONFECTION." A person in candy-cane headbands and a blue cap with a yellow backpack leads the foreground, while a participant perches atop the truck bed in a pink cap; onlookers and more marchers fill the street and grassy sideline to the right.

Small-town parade moving down a tree-lined street, with a red pickup truck towing a float decorated with balloons, hay bales, and an American flag, surrounded by volunteers in matching yellow "CREW" shirts. Spectators line the sidewalks on both sides, a "NICK LANGWORTHY" campaign shirt is visible on the right foreground, and a utility pole to the right displays an American flag and a political banner reading "Benny Blaky."

Vertical shot of a street parade in progress, with a group of people in navy "NYSUT" shirts walking alongside a decorated float carrying white, teal, and yellow balloons. In the foreground, two people in bright yellow "CREW / Stronger Together" shirts walk toward the procession, while a crowd of spectators lines the sidewalk to the left beneath full green trees.

Parade float on a New York-plated trailer, pulled by a dark SUV, with a sign reading "NYSUT IN SOLIDARITY" on the right side and a reversed banner reading "NOBODY DARES" on the float's back edge, decorated with white and yellow balloons and candy-themed props. Several people in black "NYSUT" t-shirts walk alongside and ride the float, one raising a peace sign, while a person pushing a stroller walks at the far left, all moving away from the camera down a tree-lined road.

Group of people in matching navy T-shirts reading "ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH" laughing and waving during what appears to be a parade or rally, with light blue balloons floating to the right and a partially visible sign reading "NYS — A Union of Profes[sionals]" in the foreground, set against a dense green tree canopy in bright sunlight.

A cheerful group of adults and one young child at what appears to be a Labor Day parade, several wearing black T-shirts reading "ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH." One woman holds a navy blue sign reading "NYSUT — A Union of Professionals," another waves with her hand raised, and light blue balloons float above the crowd against a backdrop of sunlit green trees.

A parade float decorated with two arching columns of multicolored balloons — pink, teal, yellow, green, and white — topped with oversized candy-themed foil balloons. A gold glitter banner between the columns reads "START YOUR CAREER WITH LOCAL CARPENTERS UNION 276!" and a sign on the lower right reads "CARPENTERS LOCAL UNION 276 / CARPENTERS NEEDED." A woman in a yellow shirt and sunglasses stands to the left, holding a camera, with green trees and blue sky behind the float.

Group of people in matching orange LiUNA shirts marching down a residential street, carrying a large black banner reading "Laborers' Local 621 · LiUNA! · Feel the Power · Allegany · Cattaraugus · Chautauqua" on the left and "Laborers' Local 621 · Olean, NY" on the right, with a blue pop-up tent, parked trucks, and white clapboard houses visible in the background.

A massive yellow construction vehicle — its oversized knobby black tire dominating the left side of the frame — sits loaded on a flatbed trailer with red reflector strips along the edge. Two men stand partially obscured beneath the equipment in the midground, with trees, power lines, and a pale blue sky visible behind them to the right.

Three people in matching red UUP (United University Professions) shirts march in a parade, holding a large white banner reading "Alfred Chapter — UUP United University Professions" with a list of chapter locations along both edges. A beige house numbered 8978 and dense evergreen shrubs fill the background, where children sit watching from the sidewalk.

Outdoor labor parade on a sunny street, with marchers carrying pink and teal signs reading "OUR LABOR BUILT CANDYLAND," "UNION POWER IS SWEET," and "SUGAR, SPICE, & WORKERS' RI[GHTS]." In the foreground, a person in a pink tie-dye shirt walks a fluffy brown-and-white dog on a teal leash, a small sign attached to the dog's back. A decorated silver pickup truck to the right displays a banner reading "CALC — Cattaraugus - Allegany Liberation Collective — Solidarity • Cooperation • Justice," with a person standing through the sunroof holding a pink paddle aloft. White clapboard houses line the background.

A blonde woman in a beige baseball cap and a white graphic tee — printed with roses and the text "GIVE US BREAD BUT GIVE US ROSES" — holds a pink protest sign with a blue border reading "SEIZE THE MEANS OF CONFECTION," decorated with sprinkles. She faces away from the camera toward a crowd of people in red shirts marching along a street, with trees and a yellow vehicle blurred in the background.

Person in a red shirt and candy cane headband holding up a pink protest sign reading "SUGAR, SPICE, & WORKERS' RIGHTS," decorated with colorful sprinkles along the border, with a second person in a maroon shirt to the right and white clapboard buildings blurred in the background.

Woman in a blue baseball cap and backpack, shot from behind, holding a pink and teal protest sign reading "NO SUGAR COATED CORPORATE GREED." A second partially visible sign to the left reads "TEN" with additional obscured text, held by another person in the foreground, with trees and a white building blurred in the background.

Man in a bright pink running cap and black sunglasses tilting his head back toward a deep blue sky, shot from a low angle that makes him dominate the frame. He's wearing a teal tank top and holding a yellow snack bag in his left hand; a white clapboard house and green trees blur softly in the background.

Bearded man with wire-rimmed glasses and a full auburn beard seated in the driver's seat of a vehicle, arm resting on the open window frame, seatbelt visible across his chest, wearing a red and grey layered shirt, with green foliage blurred softly in the background.

Two protesters stand on a street beside a large handmade cardboard sign reading "BE A SMARTIE — JOIN A UNION," decorated with colorful ribbon bows and a hand-drawn Smarties candy wrapper. The woman on the right wears a red dress and candy cane headband, holding a sign partially visible reading "COATED CORPORATE GREED," while the person to her left in a dark red top holds additional protest materials; a white SUV with a gold ribbon decoration is parked to the left.

Three people marching down a sunny residential street, each holding pink-and-teal signs reading "UNION POWER IS SWEET" and "SWEETEN WORKER BENEFITS NOW!" — a smiling woman in the foreground with long blonde braids and a flannel tied at the waist raises her sign overhead, while two others in baseball caps and navy tees walk behind her.

The shadow of a leafy tree or shrub falls sharply across the edge of a paved road, its jagged silhouette spilling over a painted white line onto a gravel shoulder. Sparse dry grass lines the far right edge of the frame.

Amazing turnout this year for the annual Labor Day Parade in Rushford, NY. So many unions this year! It was an honor to march alongside so many today and I can’t wait to see what next year’s turnout brings.

The theme was Candyland this year. Signage and decor was fun, uplifting, and a little cheeky at times.

Give us bread, but give us roses.

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