Mendon May Day— 1910
Mendon’s May Day— Under the auspices of the Sunday school of Mendon the May Day celebration will be held on Saturday, May 7th, 1910. This old time custom of welcoming the advent of flowers and leaves with the awakening of new life in all nature by a day of festivities, we believe to be a good one; so in keeping with this spirit an excellent program has been prepared and the day will be celebrated as only county towns can do. Miss May [Mary] Baker has been voted as queen, and Mr. Jay Whitney as consort. Maids and their attendants have been chosen, and altogether it will be a distinguished company. The morning exercises will begin at 9:30 a.m. with crowning of the queen, the maypole dance, and a program of exercises by our best talent. The afternoon sports will consist of ball games and such other amusements as the committee are able to arrange for the occasion. A dance for adults in the evening will conclude the day’s festivities which we trust will be enjoyed. Many of our people are in the Western country improving their homesteads, while some are preparing to remain permanently in that locality. Alma Jensen of Providence and William I. Sorensen have taken the contract to erect a handsome residence [at 210 South Main, Mendon] for Mr. Larsen, our section foreman. Mr. Peter A. Sorensen is in the real estate business disposing of some of his and his brothers land and city property in this precinct. Mr. Sorensen is realizing a good figure for his holdings. Mr. Mormon Bird has returned from Pocatello Valley, where he is erecting a home for William Longstroth. Our health and spirits are good even if we did not get to see the comet.
Clella Marretta Ladle— Another thing the children look forward to is dancing the maypole on May Day. We always felt sorry when we got too large to dance the maypole because we sure had good times practicing the different steps, especially “My Aunt Sally” so many years. This crowd [in reference to a photo of maypole dancers, taken against the south side of the 1864 rock church house] danced many years together. Our teachers were Jane Hughes and Ethel [Sorensen] Walker. We always practiced at Jane Hughes home, eating nuts, from the trees that had fallen the fall before. The girls were always dressed in white with colored sashes, the large ones one color and the smaller ones another, and a bow of ribbon on the side of our hair. But today they use paper dresses of different color.