The northwest Iowa town of Graettinger is hosting its 130th Labor Day celebration, starting Friday and running through the weekend, Iowa’s oldest such festival.

Event chairman Phillip Schmitt says the annual community bash brings together family, friends, and former residents who return to continue the long-standing tradition which started in Graettinger in 1896.

“It’s a big deal in town. There’s lots of families that come back for the weekend and make a weekend out of it,” Schmitt says. “A lot of people will come home Friday and they’ll be there through Tuesday, so it means a lot to family and tradition and coming back to your hometown.”

The highlight of the Labor Day celebration — and the longest-running tradition — is the parade held down Main Street on Monday afternoon, starting at

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