May Day-Multiple Meanings

May Day-Multiple Meanings

If you grew up in Moapa Valley (as I did) you know that May Day means the spring dance festival put on by the elementary school students.  How long this tradition has gone on no one seems to know for sure, but I participated in May Day each spring of my elementary school  career.  (I was an adult before I knew that the actual DATE of May Day was May 1^st-I always just thought it was whatever day the “May Day” dance festival was scheduled for.  The dance festival WAS “May Day.”)  Now I’m going to sound old, but I must reminisce about the “good old days” of “May Day.”  Of course, I think the way WE did “May Day” when I was growing up was the best.  (But don’t “old” people always think that?)  First of all, we always dressed up-like in our Sunday best.  (Of course, when I started elementary school the dress code required girls to wear dresses to school every day – except Friday -anyway.)  It was always fun to see everyone’s new “May Day” dresses and the planning for, sewing of, or shopping for said dresses began months before the event.  (It seemed a new “May Day” dress was more important than a new Easter dress.)  I remember my Grandma sewing me a full skirted dress for the Virginia Reel  in 4^th grade.  This was a dance I anticipated from kindergarten on.  I remember watching the 4^th graders perform this dance when I was in 2^nd grade and thinking, “When I am old enough to do the Virginia Reel, I will really be mature.”   And I can still hear the music and calls in my mind. (“Forward again with a do-si-do and all the way back to place you go.”) But then “back in the day” EVERY dance performed at May Day was a “partner dance” with formations and actual steps.  (No line dances-in fact I don’t think line dances had even been invented.) It was always a big deal to see who you would be assigned to dance with.   And IF you were a REALLY good dancer, you just might get to be an “extra” for another grade should there not be an even number of girls and boys.  This was a coveted position because “extras”  got to get out of class to practice TWICE –once with their own class and once with the class needing an “extra.”   The dances were performed in the “new gym”  (now the middle school gym) and the school (and valley) was small enough that everyone could fit and the students even got to watch each other perform.   Now the dances are performed at the fairgrounds, and I must admit I do enjoy the outside venue (not as hot), but I miss the partner dances, the fancy dresses, and I really mourned the retirement of the 4^th grade “Virginia Reel”  replaced by a new “favorite,” a “period dance”  (“Stayin’ Alive” disco) from the 70’s-the era during  which I was performing the "May Day" 4^th grade “Virginia Reel.”  (In fact, I was in 4^th grade during the 1976-77 school year, and the Bee Gee’s released “Stayin’ Alive” December 13, 1977-so ya we didn’t need to “dress up” in 70’s attire for a dance-it was standard every-day fare- though I don’t remember as many afros, chains, and shades as I see now in the 4^th grade dance performance.)  But whatever the case, I still love to go to “May Day.”  I now only have one child left in elementary school, and while I’m sad that he didn’t get to learn the “Virginia Reel” this year, I have to admit, he looked pretty cool in his “disco attire.”  “May Day” rocks!

The only pic I got of Luke in his 70's "May Day" attire ( he's in the black suit with the blond wig).  I took my good camera, but Kaylee had taken the battery out and it wouldn't work!  So Kent took this with his phone.  Also, although Luke danced right in front of us, the entire group (all 4 lines) faced north for the entire dance! We were sitting on the south side, so this was taken during one of the rare moments that the dancers turned around.   

These are horrible pics, but this is me (with the white knee socks) in 6th grade braiding the Maypole.  (6th grade was part of elementary school back then.)  This is 1979, but I don't see many afros or beads.  However, the guy approaching me is rocking the silk printed dress shirt and white dress pants-total 70's.) P.S. That's Corinne behind me.



Another 6th grade May Day shot-ready to dance with our partners.  Notice how I am the ONLY one wearing knee socks.  I wasn't allowed to wear panty hose yet, but everyone else was.  (Note the girls behind and in front of me.)  And on top of that my partner, Tony May, thought it would be cool to wear a HAT!  How embarrassing!



And now for the “multiple meanings” part of this post:  (Sorry Kaylee, I just can’t seem to make a short post-I have too much to yak about.)  Technically, I’m only going to address one other meaning so the post should be titled “May Day-Dual Meanings” but I liked the alliteration effect of the “m” words. 



So...Besides being the first day of May and the spring dance festival at the school, “May Day” is a call for help sent out by sinking boats, and lately, I have felt like a sinking boat.  Now I know that moms are supposed to be “unsinkable,” but so was the “Titanic.”  Some things that I’ve been doing this last week:  (Many of these are fun, good things- but each task adds weight to my "mom boat," and I feel myself riding lower and lower in the water.)

·         Orthodontist drama-will Kaylee ever get her braces off and will her teeth be straight and can this be done before she leaves for college in 6 weeks? (3 trips to the orthodontist last week.)



·         May Day with Luke

·         Two daughters answering prom dates, getting ready for, and attending the prom.

·         Campaign posters for Trent running for middle school student council

·         Physicals for Lynae and Trent for cheer tryouts and scout camp.



·         Midnight movie opening night The Avengers (I didn’t attend, but Kaylee did, meaning I was up until she got home about 3 a.m.-combine that with waiting up for prom returns, and ya, I’m pretty tired.  And I thought my sleep deprivation problems would be over when I no longer had babies who did not sleep through the night-ha!)

·         Cleaning my carpets



·         Ward temple night

·         Trip to St. George to pick up boat (Kent took Lynae’s prom group out to the lake-this necessitated getting the boat serviced which had been a to-do since last summer.  It also made my 2^nd trip to St. George during the week.  I had also been to Mesquite and Vegas during the week.)

·         Working every day in the high school library-we are doing inventory.

·         Trimming all my rosemary in the front rock bed.



·         Phone call from Analise who is here.  (Check out her blog here.)



·         Phone calls from Dallin who is here trying to work out class issues.

·         The usual-exercise, laundry, meals, etc. etc. etc.

·         Wedding reception

And I missed Lynae’s track meet (I was picking up the boat.) So I hope this week is a bit calmer, cause any more weight on my “unsinkable mom boat”  and it might be going under (even without an ice-berg collision.)

Some pics from the above:

 Kaylee and prom date Daniel

 Lynae and prom date Justin (Aren't my girls beautiful?!)

 Kaylee's day-time prom activity: Paintballing

 Lynae's day-time prom activity: the lake

 Kaylee and friends preparing for the midnight release of The Avengers

One of Trent's campaign posters-He designed and made it; I just punched out the letters.  It looks just like something a 13-year-old boy would come up with :)