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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, May 2-4, 2018 The Park Record W AY WE WERE Queens of the season Green Tips Communities work to protect wildlife, water SARA JO DICKENS Ecology Bridge This year, some areas of the Weber River will offer opportunities to watch rural landowners increase water quality and wildlife habitat while preserving the agricultural heritage of the region. Cars and concrete are common along the Weber River. While this may seem like thoughtless dumping of trash, in the 1960s this tactic was used as an effort to save land. In the ‘60s, our nation didn’t understand water pollution impacts and was dealing with overflowing scrap metal yards. Disposal of cars, appliances and building materials became a real issue. During this same time, rural landowners were searching for methods to prevent erosion along rivers. Recognizing the waste as a possible resource, MAHALA RUDDELL PARK CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM, THOMAS F. HANSEN COLLECTION It’s officially May and spring is in the air. It’s the time of year when various cultures, particularly those of Western Europe, celebrated the arrival of the warmer season by crowning the Queen of May and hosting a variety of “May Day” festivities. Common traditions found in British, Irish, Scandinavian and other European cultures include a dance around a May Pole, or May tree. Ribbons are held by participants and woven together during the dance, ultimately wrapping around the pole or tree in a colorful mantle. A Morris dance, or a kind of stylized sword dance, is also often performed, particularly in England. Parades led by the May Queen, usually a girl or young woman dressed in white and crowned with flower garlands, wind through communities drawing townspeople into the festivities. And neighbors leave baskets of flowers and goodies on doors steps, usually anonymously. These traditions made their way to the United States with the many waves of European immigrants. In the early and mid twentieth century, even the president and his family would participate. The Park Record published a photo in 1924 of First Lady Grace Coolidge holding a May Day basket gifted to her by several unnamed young girls. Park City celebrated May Day for decades. In 1893, the paper noted that public schools were closed for “the usual May Day holiday, and the pupils given an opportunity to roam Research coordinator Park City Museum A-7 A group of young contestants for the title of Queen of May pose for a picture on a windy day, dressed in their May Day finest. the hills and spend the time as they and their parents may deem best.” Throughout the years, festivities would be sponsored by various organizations and often functioned as fundraisers. In 1907, a “grand ball” was held at Maple Hall in conjunction with “the festivities of the carnival week” to celebrate spring. The Park City Girls Friendly Society hosted a May Day dance at Rasband’s Hall to raise money for summer camp. In 1925, the festivities were organized by the Park City Fire Department. In the late 1920s, the Women’s Athenaeum began hosting Park City’s May Day celebrations. In 1928, the program theme was focused on the history of dance, and attendees were led in many dances, including one around a May Pole. The Athenaeum promised even better festivities the following year, and attendance grew. Some of Park City’s May Queens mentioned in the Record over the years included 10 year-old Beth Powell in 1928, 16 year-old Phyllis Hoover in 1929, and 16 year-old Delsa Eskelson in 1930. By the late 1930s, attendance at Park City’s May Day parades and dances had shrunk (as had the town’s overall population). Official festivities became less common, eventually disappearing from the town’s social calendar altogether. Though celebrations are still common in some small villages and towns in England, Finland, and Canada, they have more or less faded from the public mind in the United States. Want the results of a recent competition or updated standings? Don't worry, The Park Record always keeps score. See our Scoreboard on page B-5. they used the cars and concrete to strengthen miles of eroding riverbanks. Fifty years later, the same families are partnering with government agencies and nonprofits to remove the cars and concrete and install ecological riverbank stabilizing structures. One such landowner, Kent Fawcett, is removing 60 cars and 200 tons of concrete along his one-half mile of the Weber River. And, because our landfills are reaching capacity, landowners like Kent plan to recycle the cars through scrap yards and grind the cement for road construction. These efforts to recycle cars and concrete conserves resources, reduces landfill expansion and protects water. To learn more about these rural landowner restoration efforts and how to recycle your old cars, go to Recycle Utah’s blog at recycleutah.org. Residents urged to donate blood Submitted by American Red Cross This May, the American Red Cross is calling for donors to give blood and platelets regularly to be prepared to meet the needs of patients in emergency situations. According to the National Trauma Institute, trauma accounts for approximately 41 million emergency department visits and 2 million hospital admissions each year. In March 2015, Kevin Frame suffered life-threatening injuries in a head-on collision during spring break. He received blood products to treat internal injuries immediately after the accident and during multiple surgeries while recovering. “Without the blood and plasma products made available from donations, I would not be alive today to continue my rehabilitation journey,” said Frame, who had to relearn to swallow, speak and walk after the accident. Regular blood, platelet and plasma donations help ensure that blood is available at a moment’s notice. In fact, it is the blood on the shelves that is used to help save lives at the time of an accident or sudden illness. In trauma situations, when there’s no time to check a patient’s blood type, emergency personnel reach for type O negative red blood cells and type AB plasma because they can be trans- fused to any patient, regardless of blood type. Less than 7 percent of the population has type O negative blood, and only about 4 percent of the population has type AB blood. Platelets may also be needed to help with clotting in cases of massive bleeding. Because platelets must be transfused within five days of donation, there is a constant — often critical — need to keep up with hospital demand. Donors of all blood types are urged to roll up a sleeve this May to help meet the needs of trauma patients and others with serious medical conditions. Make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). All those who come to donate from by May 13 will be entered to win one of three $1,000 gift cards to a national home improvement retailer, courtesy of Suburban Propane. Opportunities to donate blood in Summit County: May 2, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. at the Coalville Utah Stake, 40 N. Main St. in Coalville May 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Triumph Gear Systems, 6125 Silver Creek Drive May 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Park City Chamber/Bureau, 1794 Olympic Parkway May 11, from 1 to 6 p.m., at the Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, 4051 N. S.R. 224 |