Labor Day turned out windy and rain-free but cold - 57 degrees in Cloquet's Veterans Park. Lots of people showed up for chili, music and rousing speeches in front of a cheeky sign saying to "elect an adult this time." With the traditional Labor Day parade canceled, the local DFL held a drive-in, some of us sitting in our cars, spaciously arrayed in a semicircle around the stage they'd built, with our radios tuned in. Others sat on lawn chairs in front of the stage or their cars.

Organized as a "Covid Careful" event - the organizers included local labor unions, the Carlton County DFL and the...