Labor Day offers opportunity for last fling of Richmond summer

Make sure the car is checked out and won’t spoil your fun

Don't let Labor Day pass without a last fling

of fun with summer. But make sure your car
is checked out and ready first.

Alas the unofficial end of summer is at hand here in Richmond as Labor Day rolls by. Hopefully, you took some time to relax and light up the grill again, maybe go for a swim, play some volleyball, softball or hit the links. Whatever you did, hopefully you enjoyed yourself and had a good time with a late summer fling. After all, the warmer days are numbered.

It’s not the end of the world but you might want to have a final fling before the Richmond summer of 2025 fades into the past. Do something memorable. Or just do something to take your mind off work, school, or the day-to-day grind.

Maybe you should pack the family into the car and head out to a state park. You can bring your camping and fishing gear. Maybe you’d prefer to go birdwatching or simply sightseeing. You can take in a professional baseball game. Whatever you do, think of it as preparing yourself for the busy autumn ahead.

Autumns in these parts are busy for most of us. We have a string of holidays coming our way that start with Labor Day. Next, we have Columbus Day, October 13. Then we have Halloween, October 31. We have Veterans Day, November 11 and Thanksgiving, November 27 before autumn gives way to winter and Christmas. But it’s a little early to be thinking about winter, isn’t it?

Many of us will head out to the apple orchards near the end of September. Some will go for drives to see the leaves change their colors. Then we’ll want to hit the pumpkin patches for Halloween. Of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit here. We’re still looking at Labor Day this coming weekend.

Hopefully, the car is ready for whatever driving you plan to throw at it – you’ve changed the oil on schedule, had the brakes, coolant and charging systems checked. But it doesn’t hurt to give the car a once over before you take a trip this weekend, even if it’s a short trip.

Check the tires and make sure they’re inflated to the prescribed air pressure. Check the oil and make sure it shows at the full mark on the dipstick. Check the signal lights, including turn signals, brake lights, emergency flashers, and running lights.

Check the brake fluid and power steering fluid. Check the belts and hoses. Take a look under the car and see if anything is leaking. How about the wipers and the spare tire. And, of course, you want to make sure you have enough gasoline before you hit the road.

Once you’ve checked the car out, you don’t have to worry about that; you can focus on enjoying your Labor Day weekend and the waning days of this Richmond summer.

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