May Day is returning to its roots at this weekend’s community heritage picnic.
Royal City residents are set to celebrate the 145-year-old history and traditions of May Day, which was first held on the city’s cricket green on May 4, 1870. The first May Day featured games, music, dancing and a picnic.
“They gathered on the green, had a picnic, and came together in a cheery manner,” said Karen Baker-MacGrotty, one of the organizers of this year’s picnic. “Over the years, it’s been cheery and it’s been fun. They say May Day brings out the children in all of us, so that’s what we are trying to recreate – that happy, wonderful, lighthearted sense of community.”
School kids will gather in Queen’s Park Stadium for the annual May Day celebrations on May 20, but residents of all ages are invited to attend the new community heritage picnic on Sunday, May 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Armoury of the Royal Westminster Regiment. Residents are invited to pack a picnic lunch, bring photos and stories of May Day, and mingle with fellow citizens and celebrate May Day.
“We are starting small. It’s our first year and we have three weeks to do this. The planning is pretty intense right now but it’s going to be a wonderful event. Everyone is excited,” said Baker-MacGrotty. “As we walk around town, the support is overwhelming, absolutely overwhelming. They are saying you are creating something positive out of something that could have been quite sad.”
The idea for the community heritage picnic came out of city council’s decision to cancel the Royal Lancers dances at the May Day banquet and the support for the city’s May Day traditions. Members of the 2014 and 2015 May Queen Suites will be dancing the traditional “quadrille” dances with the Royal Lancers at the picnic and the Royal Knights will have an honour guard and share some trivia.
The event is free, but tickets are needed so organizers know how many people to expect at the Armoury. Overflow will be accommodated in Tipperary Park, which is adjacent to the Royal Westminster Regiment’s Armoury at 530 Queens Ave.
For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.ca and search for New Westminster May Day Community Heritage Picnic.
