The beauty of Labor Day is leaving the labor behind—which is exactly what our NYC editor, Raven, has done this week to celebrate the end of summer. Never fear, though: If you're counting on Mommy Poppins to guide you on your own labor-free way this holiday weekend, there are plenty of us left here to shine a light on all that is fun, festive and/or FREE this week, in easy reach of the city. Not only that, we're kicking off back-to-school season with one heck of a bang: $2,000 worth of fabulous prizes in our Back-to-School Swagapalooza! Awesome prizes include two Schwinn kids' bikes, $150 worth of personalized school supplies from My Chronicle Books, a Disney Junior package, a $50 Target gift card, $250 to spend at Sears Optical and oodles more. You enter for each prize separately, so start clicking!

Care to escape the city for, say, Elizabethan England? It's never too late (or at least not until late September); the New York Renaissance Faire is still going strong in Tuxedo Park, including the holiday Monday. Or spend a few corny hours in Sleepy Hollow for Philipsburg Manor's CORNucopia celebration in Westchester. (Speaking of Westchester, our Westchester site is looking to hire a new Events Editor, in case you know just the person.)

If you're headed for the Hamptons this weekend, there's a Pow Wow worth stopping in on, and our New Jersey team has several suggestions for day trips in the Garden State. If you've got a pooch you don't want to leave at home, bring him along for a special doggie day out at the Ocean Oasis Water Park. Connecticut has fairs and festivals popping up all over this holiday weekend, including a life-affirming Labor Day parade in Newtown.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week: