A few years ago, Scott Hunter sent me a photograph of him and a young girl during their youth dressed in their finest for Lucedale’s May Day Celebration.
Soon afterward I talked with local resident Judy Wilder. She also remembered when Lucedale celebrated May Day, the event that marks the beginning of summer as it is halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Whether May Day is celebrated on May 1, the Monday after May 1 or some other day in May is dependent upon geographic locations and cultures, according to an internet search.
The circa 1961 photo from Hunter shows a pretty young girl wearing a springtime, blue dress and sophisticated, white gloves. Her name is Christine Mizell, and she was an early girlfriend. The photo was taken when they were in about the eighth grade. Hunter sports a dashing white blazer and crisp, smart-looking bow-tie.
Wilder remembers her elementary days when a huge May Day Celebration took place at the football field next to the school. That was when Lucedale (and some other communities) had their own high school. The Lucedale school building is now L.C. Hatcher Elementary and the former football field is used for field events and recreational sports practices.
“I remember going to the celebration in 1959 when I was in second grade. I remember all the people and the maypole, holding a ribbon and going around the maypole,” she said.
Wilder wore a green skirt with an inset of bright colors “like a Mexican outfit. There were lots of different costumes,” she said. Her recollection is that most likely each grade level had a different theme or represented a different country that year.
Hunter lived in Lucedale during his youth prior to his years as a football quarterback at the University of Alabama and professional player in the National Football League followed by many years as a local television news celebrity. Wilder grew up in Lucedale, spent her career as an educator in the George County School District and still lives here.
It’s May. While it’s too bad we don’t celebrate a May Day here anymore, we can be thankful for old photographs and old memories. Happy May!
