Berea's Labor Day, a tradition begun in 1922, celebrates the work values to which Berea is committed -- the dignity of all labor and serving the common good through work that benefits the whole community. Labor Day 2000 also will provide a lot of activities just for fun and a break from the usual routine. Among the service projects planned are: improvements to playgrounds at three area preschools; an erosion management project in the College Forest; construction on two Habitat for Humanity houses; landscaping at the Berea Hospital; hearing loss and disease assessment by College nursing students for 500 community children; clean-up at a local long-term care facility; a car wash to benefit a local mental retardation/disabilities advocacy organization, doing yard work at the homes of up to 15 local senior citizens and a book replacement effort for a community library that burned down last month in War, W. Va.

This year's celebration on the theme "Labor Day 2000: The Spirit of Service" unites Berea's Labor Day activities with the National Week of Service America and Points of Light Foundation

In the spirit of honoring student work (every Berea student works a minimum of 10 hours per week in a College job) and to encourage maximum participation by students in Labor Day activities, faculty and staff will assume some jobs usually performed by students, such as preparing and serving meals in the campus Dining Services.

On Labor Day eve, there will be an awards banquet at 6 p.m. honoring students who have excelled in their College jobs, followed by a street dance at 7:30 p.m. in front of Boone Tavern on the College Square.

On Tuesday, Labor Day activities will kick-off with a pancake breakfast on the College Quadrangle from 8:30 - 10 a.m. There will be a picnic on the patio of the Alumni Building from 1l a.m. - 1 p.m. \

Just for students, an afternoon of activities from 2 - 6 p.m. collectively named "Adrenaline Rush," is scheduled in the athletic fields behind the Alumni Building. Activities will include an obstacle course, rock wall, giant slide, maze, bungee run, bouncin' boxing, velcro wall and "off-with-your-head."

The final event of the day will be a pops concert by the Berea College Band at 7 p.m. on the\Woods-Penniman Patio, featuring light classics, pop and jazz selections.