May will be a merry month indeed for New Westminster's 2013 May Queen.
Anastasia Sabinin's dream of serving as New Westminster's Queen of the May came true Monday night when she was named the city's 143rd May Queen. The Grade 5 student will be crowned May Queen on May 22 - two days after her 11th birthday.
"I have always wanted to be the May Queen," Anastasia told The Record after Monday night's draw for the May Queen suite in city council chambers.
Anastasia, who has enjoyed doing folk dances and Maypole dances in past May Days, has hoped since kindergarten that she would one day be May Queen. She's looking forward to representing the city at various events and taking part in the Hyack International Parade.
Making the experience even more special is the fact that Ben Crowther will accompany Anastasia to events as F.W. Howay's Royal Knight. The two have been friends since preschool.
The 2013 May Queen suite includes: First Maid of Honour Zoe Braithwaite and Royal Knight Trevor Schweitzer (Richard McBride Elementary); Second Maid of Honour Charissa Vanags and Royal Knight Lucas Marinescu (Hume Park Elementary); Medal Bearer Abigail Higgins and Royal Knight Jacob Higgins (Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary); Register Bearer Sarah Fejzic and Royal Knight Owen Partaik (Lord Kelvin Elementary); First Flower Girl Synthia Zhang and Royal Knight Kirk Bothwell (John Robson Elementary); Second Flower Girl Ashleena Beryar and Royal Knight Cameron Attwell (Queensborough Middle School); Third Flower Girl Olivia Smith and Royal Knight Greyson Planinsic (Connaught Heights Elementary); and Fourth Flower Girl Sydney Benson and Royal Knight Cohen Codrington (Herbert Spencer Elementary).
F.W. Howay principal Ken Millard said students were "pretty bubbly" upon hearing the news that the school won the draw for this year's May Queen, noting it's been quite a while since that's happened.
"The kids are quite excited," he said. The city's May Day celebrations take place in Queen's Park Stadium on Wednesday, May 22.
Mayor Wayne Wright said May Day began in New Westminster in 1870, when Nellie McColl was crowned the city's first Queen of the May - a tradition that has continued through good times and bad.
Lindsay DeLair, who MCed the May Queen suite draw, said the first May Day was held during a "bleak time" in history, so the Hyack fire department organized the first May Day as way of cheering up the citizens.
In the early days of the May Queen celebrations, the fire chief would visit the home of a local girl and ask her father if she could be May Queen.
Later, the May Queen was selected by a committee whose members remained secret for "diplomatic and other reasons."
By 1907, kids in schools participated in the selection of the May Queen. At one time, the May Queen selected her two maids of honour.
Today, students in elementary schools vote for a Grade 5 boy and girl to represent their school in the May Queen suite and Royal Knight representatives. Schools' names are placed in capsules and drawn from a basket, with the final capsule containing the name of the May Queen's school.
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TheresaMcManus.
