DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne native Helen Callaway reminisced Sunday afternoon and shared her memories of the Jubilee City’s May Day Celebration from years long gone. The city, hoping to revive the celebration, attracted about 50 attendees to the first May Day event to take place in 41 years this past Sunday. 

Callaway was an active member of the May Day Committee and head of the coronation committee for many years.

“I am old, but I am not quite as old as May Day,” Callway said.

May Day celebrations in Daphne began in 1907 and were sponsored by the School Improvement Association at the Normal School in Daphne. The festivities continued most years until 1970, with the exception of 1933, 1934, 1943, 1944 and 1945.

“In 1907, the school decided to have some sort of fundraiser or some sort of day’s activity. There was food, fried fish, potato salad — you name it, it was here,” Callaway said.

In 1911, the Normal School decided to add a court and coronation to the festivities. The first May Day queen was Isobel Goldsby in 1911.

Callaway said May Day created many great memories for her as a child.

“I can remember my mother; she always had us in playclothes to wear to May Day. We stayed all day. Everybody can remember the coronation. The May Pole. A lot of you women probably remember playing the May Pole,” Callaway said. “At night, everybody would stay. There was a large building at the end of the pier. They would have a dance down there. I can remember as a little girl Daddy taking us and letting us come down to the May Day dance just to see what it was all about and then taking us home.”

Around the time of World War II, the Normal School in Daphne closed. Callaway said May Day could have ceased to exist along with the school, but there were people in Daphne who would not let it happen.

“When the Normal School closed, people in Daphne would not let May Day die. A number of folks got together and they started what we know as May Day,” Callaway said.

Callaway said when she returned home from the service, the reins of May Day celebration were handed over to a new crew of volunteers.

“I came home out of the service in 1946 and it was time for May Day and there was a new crew. There wasn’t nothing big enough that we couldn’t handle. We came home full of vitality and May Day was not going to die, don’t let May Day die,” Callaway said.

“The last May Day that we know was in 1970. Times had began to change, the city was growing and we felt like May Day had run its course. Now, I wish that we had kept it up. At that time the schools had enlarged, anyone in the county could have sent a court…” Callaway said.

She said looking back, she wished that May Day had not been allowed to end.

“May Day was something we looked forward to every year, somewhere we made friends and a really nice day. May Day has been just a real source of my life and the good I got out of it,” Callaway said.

(Staff video by Shea Zirlott; edited by Thomas Boni)

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