Frequent volunteers, friends co-chair picnic

It takes a lot of work to prepare for Rector's annual Labor Day Picnic celebration. Each year someone is called on from the large group of volunteers to coordinate all of the many details of the picnic.

This year friends Mark Manchester and Nate Henderson have stepped up to take on the challenge.

"We're just like everybody else in that we look forward to Labor Day every year," Manchester said. "We're both very excited about seeing all the hard work the citizens of Rector have done pay off in that one-of-a-kind celebration."

The duo has worked together on numerous projects over the years. Both coaches in the Rector School District, they have bonded in a special way as their friendship has grown.

"We're pretty much family by this point," Manchester said.

"We've known each other for so long and worked together on so many projects that we know how the other thinks," Henderson said. "Mark will finish my sentences and I'll finish his because we know what the other is going to say. That doesn't happen overnight. It came about from a lot of hours of working together."

Manchester and Henderson have volunteered together for the last several Labor Day events. They also have been actively involved in coordinating and following through on events for the Rector High School Helping Hands Foundation, Rector High School, the community response during the ice storm and essentially any and every organization within Rector.

"We both want to have the best community possible," Henderson said. "It takes a lot of volunteering to make the things we have here possible. So we always get involved with just about everything. Since we work together so much, we always seem to pair up on these projects."

Coordinating Labor Day is a daunting task, but the two friends say they've had a lot of help.

"The people of Rector are just outstanding," Manchester said. "Nate and I haven't gone to anyone and asked them to do something and not had them do whatever they can to support the picnic. The willingness to work and help make the picnic the best it can be is just unbelievable."

As the Labor Day celebration continues to grow, so, too, does the effort involved in making everything possible.

"We've got a great slate of events lined up for the whole weekend," Manchester said. "Labor Day has become such an important time for the community and the out-of-town visitors that there's something going on all weekend."

Regardless of the cause, hard work can wear on just about anyone. This area is where the friends' bond really comes helps.

"We get stressed just like anybody else," Henderson said. "I think we're able to handle it so well because we're friends and can kid around and get through it. We try to keep it light and remember what's most important."