Nothing happens in Andover on Labor Day: it tends to resemble a ghost town. In neighboring Lawrence, MA, however, three festivals are celebrated on Labor Day: Mahrajan, a Lebanese festival; the Feast of the Three Saints, an Italian festival; and Bread and Roses, a traditional Labor festival. The Bread and Roses Festival commemorates the "Bread and Roses" Strike of 1912, discussed here. It's also the subject of Nothing happens in Andover on Labor Day: it tends to resemble a ghost town. In neighboring Lawrence, MA, however, three festivals are celebrated on Labor Day: Mahrajan, a Lebanese festival; the Feast of the Three Saints, an Italian festival; and Bread and Roses, a traditional Labor festival.The Bread and Roses Festival commemorates the “Bread and Roses” Strike of 1912, discussed here. It’s also the subject of a book, Bread and Roses, Too, by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is better known as the author of Bridge to Terebithia, both because it won a Newbery medal, and because it was made into a marvelous movie. I met Paterson and her husband at last year’s festival, and bought an autographed copy of Bread and Roses, Too from them.The Bread and Roses Festival has fallen on hard times. It was once an event that attracted national talent and huge crowds; I’ve seen Pete Seegar there, and Jay Unger, and many other prominent folk musicians, especially ones with old Labor connections. This year there isn’t a single group playing that I recognize. Sic transit gloria mundi. Software Development