| Utah's
oldest celebration of May Day will happen again in Mendon
By
M. Kathryn Hanberg
April 18, 2008 | MENDON -- The approaching
May Day has many residents working and practicing to
make everything spectacular.
May 3 is the big day. The May Day
committee has already begun collaborating. The celebration
begins at 10 in the morning and continues throughout
the day. Festivities include breakfast, the May pole
dance, crowning of the May Queen, singing original songs
from the 1800s and ball games. These, along with much
preparation, help this long-lived town celebration continue.
"May Day sounds like a distress
sound, but it is really a nice little celebration,"
said June H. Bowen, May Day's song leader.
This is Katie Willie Childs' first
year as the May Day committee chairperson. She and the
rest of the committee have selected Linzy Larsen as
May Queen.
Mendon's May Queen is selected in
a drawing. All girls 16-17 years old are put into a
drawing. The one drawn is the May Queen. She has the
first pick of whom she wants as her consort. After she
chooses her consort, the other girls select theirs.
Consorts are boys 16-17 years old.
This year is the first year the boys
have outnumbered the girls, 27 to 19, said Bowen.
After all the girls have chosen their
consort, the boys left will then choose a girl other
than one who is already chosen to participate in May
Day.
The maypole dance is a very important
part of May Day. The dancers are young girls. A younger
girl is paired up with an older girl. They all have
matching dresses. This year the colors are blue and
green. They meet three times a week, and practice 12
different songs and dances.
"Kids get off the bus, they
meet, and they practice, practice, practice," said Winn
Gardner, director of Mendon Library.
The maypole is laced with two different
colors of fabric that matches the young girls dresses.
This year there are about 100 girls, requiring five
maypoles.
"The poles are about the size
of a tether ball pole that kids play with," said Allen
Gardner, former city councilman.
The night before May Day is dedicated
to the young men and women. A ball takes place where
the May Queen, her consort and all the other young men
and women are treated like royalty. The young women
are dressed in formals, and the young men are in tuxedos.
After they are introduced, they do a show dance, after
which they dance one song with their parents.
"It teaches them a lot of respect,"
said Bowen.
Winn Gardner said, "Mendon has the
oldest May Day celebration in the state of Utah, so
I'm told."
Mendon's May Day has been dated back
to as early as 1874 when Hannah Leavitt Barker was selected
as the May Queen. It is believed that May Day celebration
was present even before this time. Many of the first
settlers in Mendon came from England where they celebrated
May Day. At that time, it became a tradition to celebrate
during each spring on the first Saturday of May, wrote
Isaac Sorensen in History of Mendon.
So join Mendon in Utah's oldest May
Day celebration next to the restored Mendon Station
this May 3 and enjoy the tradition.
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DM
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