Photo story: Big crowds turn out for Cloquet Labor Day parade

For a spring and summer season marked by rain, maybe a bit too much at times, it seems it didn't affect the area weekend celebrations much. Monday was no exception as the annual 11 a.m. Labor Day parade began on a sun-drenched Cloquet Avenue in Cloquet. There were throngs of people along the main drag and throngs of people in the parade as politicians, unions and businesses made their final pitches for the season in 70-degree weather. For kids, with school looming this week, it was a chance for unlimited candy until at least Halloween, as police officers and firefighters and more chucked items from squads and floats. After the parade, eateries in town were jampacked, as were many of the other businesses that were open. If we need to say summer is over, it went out with a bang in Cloquet.