Tracy Schultz was just one of the many laborers who labored on Labor Day in Southwest Louisiana.

Schultz — who is the owner of Happy Donuts on Martin Luther Highway — started his day at 5:30 a.m, mixing ingredients, preparing the dough and heating up the fryer.

Then the traffic came.

“About 8:30 a.m. our rush started happening,” he said. “Same amount of people coming in but larger orders, it seems like.”

The overwhelming request? Good, old-fashioned glazed.

“During the weekdays it seems like people are picking up for themselves, either on their way to work or on the way to school,” he said. “Today is playing out more like a weekend with people buying for groups.”

Schultz ended his workday at noon with plans for a “big nap” to celebrate the rest of his Labor Day.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day was declared a national holiday on June 28, 1894, to recognize and celebrate the contributions of American workers.

More than a century later, the nation continues to celebrate the holiday the first Monday of September, granting hundreds of thousands of workers a three-day weekend. But not all businesses close their doors that day.

Sharome Chretien, general manager of D-BAT Lake Charles, kept his training facility open to cater to area students who were also given the day off from their classes.

“We’ve got about 18 kids in here for a baseball camp and we’re going over drills,” he said.

This camp was designed for baseball and softball players alike with a focus on throwing, catching, field and hitting.

“We have three instructors and we try to make it a fun day,” Chretien said. “When the kids are out of school, we try to have a camp. We’re gearing up for another one in October during an in-service and then we’ll have them during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, too.”