Cassidy Tecklenborg was crowned New Westminster’s 144th May Queen before a boisterous crowd of students from across the city.
The city’s annual May Day ceremonies, held on Wednesday under sunny skies at Queen’s Park Stadium, featured longstanding traditions such as folk dances by Grade 2 students and Maypole dances by Grade 5 students, as well as some new elements including by the singing of a song by an elementary school choir and a performance by the Hyack Cheer Team.
Mayor Wayne Wright said May Day is an opportunity for the city to embrace its vibrant history.
With the words “I crown you the queen of the May,” 2013 May Queen Anastasia Sabinin crowned Cassidy as this year’s queen.
Cassidy, a student at F.W. Howay, said there’s no greater honour than representing her school and the city, and she’s proud to be part of a historic event in New Westminster.
“This is my dream come true,” said Cassidy, whose grandmother Sue Sage and aunt Carrie Nichol were also May Queens.
New Westminster is home to the longest May Day celebrations in the commonwealth. When the Hyack Fire Brigade organized the event back in 1870 it included a free lunch; today, students cheer wildly when their classes are the lucky recipients of draw for free lunch from local businesses.
