May Day

Kind of enjoyed May 1st, when I attended school at Lower POttsgrove Elementary on Pleasantview in the 1940's during the Second World War. Built on top of a hill facing east there was a tall flagpole across the driveway from the front entranceway. 

This flagpole was put to another use on May's special day. I guess, it was the janitor who leaned a ladder against the pole, climbed it, and taped long stringers of different colored four inch wide crape paper up at about 12 feet. Of course, the grade school girls were all a giggle over what was going to happen but, the boys, naturally hung back smirking. 

Teachers brought their classes out the front door and herded them across the driveway to the May Pole, then the celebration began. Staged, boy/girl, boy/girl around the pole, each student was assigned a dangling end of crape paper. Now the teachers earned their pay. Grabbing an end of the crapepaper boys were to circle clockwise, girls counterclockwise and, while circling, they were to weave in and out, which became a logistics problem. With a big smerick on the boys (on my) faces confusion ensued. 

Whether we got it done properly or not, my enjoyment came through the experience not the polished result. It seems to me the May Pole Dance was accompanied by recorded music but that may be wishful thinking. I think a lot about my three years at LPES on Pleasantview Road - 4th, 5th,and 6th grades. Time erodes sharp immages so memories may just allow what I wanted those years to look like. 

Ronald C. Downie