SLUG: ME-VAGOV DATE: September 7, 2009 PLACE: Buena Vista, VA PHOTOGRAPHER: jahi chikwendiu/twp Democrat Creigh Deeds greets the crowd as candidates for Virginia governor, Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds, participate in the annual Buena Vista Labor Day parade. Buena Vista's Labor Day Festival dates to the mid-1960s, when the city bought the Glen Maury farm, planning to convert it to a community park. To celebrate the work done by the many volunteers who cleared the land, built picnic shelters, and hiking trails, a Labor Day parade was organized to march from downtown Buena Vista to new Glen Maury Park. It attracted thousands of people from the region; its success ensured the event would become a Buena Vistan tradition. Local politicians invited governors and Senators (both state and national) to participate, and the festival began to serve as the kickoff for Virginia's fall political campaigns.