Lewis County Commission candidate Edna Fund greets parade-goers lining the streets in Vader Saturday morning during the 61st annual May Day Celebration in 2012.
Hunter Smith, left, and Railey St. Jean, the 2013 contestants for the Vader May Day King/Queen pose for a portrait in Vader on Monday afternoon.
Persevering despite waning public support, a small group of dedicated residents are bent on preserving the Vader May Day Festival’s traditions while assuring it has a bright future with younger generations.
Now proudly celebrating its 61st year, the annual Vader May Day Festival had humble beginnings. The festival was founded in 1952 by local Girl Scout leader, Lena DeAger. Initially consisting of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts parading through town on hand-decorated bicycles and wagons, over time the festival expanded to include a range of activities, which benefited from consistent community support. The festival came to symbolize the beginning of spring and brought folks together through a shared spirit of old-fashioned fun. Highlights of the festivities included a parade, car show, pole dance, cake walk, and the highly-anticipated crowning of Vader’s May Day Queen.
In years past, the queen earned her crown by raising the most money from taking donation jars around the neighborhood. These days, contestants sell commemorative buttons and raffle tickets at $1 apiece, and the competition is open to both boys and girls.
Hunter Smith, a fourth grader at Toledo Elementary School and great-grandson of festival founder DeAger, aims to buck the trend and become Vader’s first May Day King. Articulate with an entrepreneurial spirit, Smith has perfected his sales pitch and assembled a diverse network of donors he believes will pave his path to the crown. When asked what motivated him to join a competition that’s long been dominated by girls, Smith confidently replied, “I want to be the first king in 61 years to throw candy from a float.”
Standing between Smith and the crown is Railey St. Jean, a pint-sized, precocious kindergartner at Toledo Elementary. A recent addition to the competition, St. Jean is expanding beyond door-to-door sales with plans to set up a raffle table at the local grocery store in hopes of netting some additional donation dollars. If her efforts pay off and she becomes this year’s May Day Queen, St. Jean said she will have a celebratory barbeque featuring her favorite dishes of steak and seafood with orange juice.
Seeing such enthusiasm from children like Smith and St. Jean assures Festival Committee Chairwoman Wanda Smith of a promising future. In the face of economic challenges and an aging population of long-time supporters, Chairwoman Smith remains optimistic. “Some of the characteristics Vader is known for have been dying,” Smith said, “but it’s still a positive community. These kids show us why we need to keep the festival going.”
“I think the May Day Festival is an important event for the people down here,” said area resident and owner of Vader’s Little Crane Café, Ginnie Dailey. “It brings the community together to do something for one another, to enjoy a good time without costing too much.”
Along with a team of volunteers, Dailey has been the driving force behind a number of youth-oriented festival activities for the past seven years. Dailey and her team offer children free hamburgers and hotdogs with pop, cotton candy, face-painting and game booths before finishing the day with an annual raffle drawing for a boy’s and a girl’s bicycle.
For Dailey, the reward comes from seeing how the children embrace the festival. “Watching their faces light up when they can enjoy a free day of food, games and activities makes it all worth it.” “Rain or shine,” Dailey said, “it’s a fun event and they keep us going, so we want to give back.”
Brian Carroll lives in Chehalis and enjoys teaching, writing and meeting inspirational people in our community.
