Show Homefront Let’s talk 10 Crossword 11 C The Herald Journal Logan Utah Monday April 29 1996 ' You can tell the new people by the part in their hair’ Bowen laughed looking down to read an imaginary song book 'Everyone else already knows the words’ May Day schedule of events The young women in this undated photo (most likely taken in the 1950s) dance around the maypole In PtwVnt court— y Juna Down and Rod Ootwn a Mendon celebration that merits its 132nd year this week Friday May 3 Community dance in pm 7:30-1- 1 the Men- don LDS Cultural Hall Presentation of the Queen of the May and her court is at 8:30 pm Dance is for all youth and adults ages 14 and older Dress is Herald Journal Features writer By Jennifer Hatch semi-form- al (dresses for women and ties for men no jeans) Admission is $2 per person No one is admitted without proper attire Sand is Crestmark Combo with i music for all ages Dedicated residents document Mendon’s May Day history i Dn transplanted picnic table in her front June Bowen is busy chronicling her hunt Her quest is to gather all the mementos she can about each Mendon May Day celebration ever held and if the stacks of papers and photographs strewn on the table are any indicamade a good start tion Bowen’s energies have now turned from treasure“I just get so -hunting to treasure-makin- g excited about this” she says when talking about her project to format all of the tidbits into a giant community scrapbook “In here I’m having a picnic — literally” which is a good thing Bowen cheerfully uei Manit flii!-- 1 from On of Meadoa’s 1906 May Day This —- au hUI fa it tiMwIioii &apaimttj ULlafa4 iiiwil —1 ifu tiaalt muuuf fr Jmh uUi 3 iM jtt— — 1 — j 1- Qttf(jal(t aiaUffHumi - wfa 3 Wafnin !? - if figyl paint iinyyiUil f - 3 Sail f-- 1- a-- l- af mj Lfa (fat mwiiy 3w 0L f ct- - aff 3t 4 faaL- if Lj iay daa tfmitti fa ma if cififuliM 1— 0Ry dwSeed fil p: j- I 1P1 a iiwlijLf lfiy IwiwMi ltd Lam itlf aiiiiMMbaih fa lafjn unit my jail it 4nTftLU mjiiJmi MM 3 riwflai Saturday May 4 Crowning of the Queen of the May 10 am on Mendon city square Followed by braiding of the maypoles admits because if she weren't so enthused about preserving Mention's May Day history she likely wouldn't put up with the well mayhem the endeavor has wrought in her living room The project is con sum This photo ing no doubt about it Amidst glue sticks pens and a magnifying glass are colorful folders Bowen has designated to hold the keepsakes she retrieved from friends and neighbors one folder for each of Mention's 131 past celebrations Slips of paper backing off of hundreds of scrapbook adhesive tabs congregate all over the thick carpet more of them falling there as pages are completed “I’ve already vacuumed today” Bowen laughed Kit die doesn't mind This is a project no one asked her to do it is something she has gladly taken on herself Just as jubilant is Rod Sorensen who has scoured newspaper microfilm and family histories to compile written information about May Day Eventually the two would like to combine their efforts for a book about the celebration and its importance to their town And it is important “We are the single oldest community celebration not just in Utah but in the entire Intermountain West excluding the 4th and 24th of July” Sorensen said pointing out that a celebration doesn't endure unless people are endeared to it “The whole town has May Day fever" Mendon council member Mike Morgan agrees "It's something that brings the whole town together once a year It's as much a family and May Day program in the Mendon LDS chapel May Day historical captures the 1912 Mendon May Day Celebration celebration as a town celebration for some people” he said When Mendon celebrates the dawning of May this weekend (see sidebar for schedule) much will be the same as festivities from years past: A queen and her attendants will be honored and the revtownspeople will don their finest to join songs is an important eleelry Singing age-ol- d ment of the celebration and has been for as long as anyone can remember “You can tell the new people by the part in their hair” Bowen laughed looking down to read an imaginary song book “Every one else already knows the words” The “traditional" dancing and braiding of the maypole (done by girls in matching dresses) will be featured too although Sorensen said that aspect of the celebration was not added until 15-2- 0 years after Mendon 's May Day began May Day has evolved in many ways throughout the years as Bowen and Sorensen discovered in their research The LDS Sunday School Superintendency used to coordinate the event now the city oversees it Once held on May 1 no matter what the day the celebration now See MAY DAY on page 10 display noon to 5 pm in Mendon City building Food stand open noon to 5 pm Children’s dance pm in the Mendon LDS cultural hall 2-2:- 45 Dance is for children ages 12 and younger (all children must be accompanied by an adult) Children’s games 2:45-- 4 pm on the Mendon city square Games are for children ages 12 and younger and include: fish pond pick-a-du- ck water balloon toss face painting peanut dig obstacle course relay races and crafts Games conclude with a candy boomerang toss Dust bunnies beware the spirit of Grandma Kate lives on Py Qina Wcfcwar I recall that immediately before my Grit child was born I went into a frenzy of housecleaning and reorganizing the likes of which have seldom been seen since My mother arriving shortly after the baby's birth was highly gratified to discover I'd gone so far as to list the contents of my kitchen cabinets label the dresser drawers and post notes telling her where certain articles were stored (all this in an efficiency apartment the size of a walk-i- n closet) I'd also dusted every piece of furniture twice waxed the floor polished the three pieces of silver received as wedding gifts changed all the shelf paper cleaned the window and laundered and ironed the curtains Only later did I learn that these activities are a common ritual practiced by expectant moth- ers a constituting “preparing-the-nest- ” kind of ceremony enthusiThis story of my asm for order and cleanliness has been a source of great amusement to my family because they well know I rare housekeeping only slightly above tire changing as a pastime In other words no pre-partu- I erne's surprised that my crystal has water spots or that the last time I pried open the can of silver polish I found it had solidified They ARE surprised though when every spring I'm seized with the need to clean the house REALLY clean it We're not talking your weekly onceover we're talking serious purification rites like attacking the grout with a toothbrush hosing down the mini blinds and yes even cleaning behind the refrig erator Fortunately for me this is a once-a-yeurge the remainder of the time I'm my usual if not slovenly casual self In general I deal with housekeeping much as every other woman does I do it but it's often deferred if there's anything even remotely more interesting to engage me say like a farm subsidy debate on I've thought about why each spring I ar Sec CLEAN on Page 10 Features: TOciday Health: Drawing healthy conclusions 752-212- 1 ti 1 rrrA-- n I |