Labor Day has been celebrated in Black Diamond for as long as most can remember. But not this year due to you-know-what: Covid-19. In the early years after Black Diamond’s founding, Fourth of July was the big community summer bash. Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894 and by the 1920s festivities were held in Black Diamond jointly funded by the union and coal company. During World War II both the Independence and Labor Day ceremonies dried up. In 1947, the Black Diamond Labor Day tradition was resurrected to its current pattern when Pete Dearden, Lew McCauley, Willie Franchini, Bill Hawthorne, and Frank Manowski each threw $10 each into a pot to get things started. Labor Day observances have been held every year since except for two. There was lack of interest in 1993, so the Black Diamond Eagles provided alternate entertainment. And when the Black Diamond Historical Society was formed in 1976, the town’s celebration was held on the Fourth of July. However, even that bicentennial cancellation didn’t stop some folks from congregating at King’s Tavern on Labor Day where 76-year-old Ella (Horner) Stellpflue was crowned honorary Queen surrounded by her sisters, Naomi (Horner) Barnes Givens and Hazel (Horner) Williams.
Back in 1978, Greg Gilbert a photographer for the Seattle Times snapped the classic three-legged race where participants joined ankles with belt and lumbered towards the finish line. Other old-fashioned activities included soapbox cars racing down Lawson Street, teams of firemen playing “water-ball” with hoses, a small town parade on the highway, the crowning of a Queen, plus hosts of races and merriment for children and adult alike. The community ball field has always been the site of the town’s celebration. The above image appeared in the Sept. 6, 1978 Seattle Times and comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah research who collects historic photos.
