Dover had a wonderful 2013 May Fair for the elementary students.  May Fair celebrations have changed since I attended Dover.  Back in the day, the fair was during the school day.  In  the afternoon we played games, ate candy and performed the Maypole dance.  Anyone else ever participate in a Maypole dance in school?  I remember in middle school wearing a dress and weaving long, silk ribbons on a tall pole, during a lively song.

What is the meaning of the Maypole dance?  Here are a few answers according to Wikipedia.

1. Some scholars classify maypoles as symbols of the world axis.

2. Others have viewed them as having phallic symbolism.  (OMG no wonder there is no Maypole dance!)

3. Part of the general rejoicing at the return of summer, and the growth of new vegetation.

“The earliest use of the Maypole in America occurred in 1628, where William Bradford, governor of New Plymouth, wrote of an incident where a number of servants, together with the aid of an agent, broke free from their indentured service to create their own colony, setting up a maypole in the center of the settlement.”

“They also set up a May-pole, drinking and dancing about it many days togaether, inviting the Indean women, for their consorts, dancing and frisking togither, (like so many fairies, or furies rather,) and worse practises. As if they had anew revived & celebrated the feasts of the Roman Goddes Flora, or the beastly practieses of the mad Bacchinalians.

Here are some pictures from the Maypole dance in Dover when I was about 11 years old.  In the pictures from 1982 are my friends Kym Guss, Holly Beecher, Travis Faulkner, Jill Coleman,  and Michelle Knaub.  I have on a pink shirt, pink skirt, pink bow, and pink socks.  I guess I always liked the color pink.

  Okay, enough with my reminiscing of the  1980’s.   Here are pictures from the Dover May Fair 2013.  We had a fantastic day of family fun.  It was great to see the Dover football team participating in the celebration.

Great job Dover PTO!

~P.