HomepageLibrary“The Tale of May Day” told in Myrin Library Display

“The Tale of May Day” told in Myrin Library Display

This new display features May Day, an Ursinus College tradition dating back to 1919.

“The Tale of May Day” was assembled with the intention of transporting the viewer back to the days of Ursinus College when May Day was in its prime. With all-female roots, May Day was a prospect for the women of Ursinus to display their talents by writing a manuscript of a play, complete with detailed instructions for costuming, casts and scenery. To be chosen as the winning manuscript was a prestigious honor and a chance to execute imaginative scribbles into reality. The rules cited in the display were for the 1939-1940 May Day and found in the December 4th, 1939 Ursinus Weekly. By the 1950s, the prize had risen from 15 to 25 dollars.

What began as an opportunity for women to highlight both athletic and articulate skill, transformed into an event the campus eagerly awaited all year long. This roving pageant was equipped with elaborate choreography and intricate costuming. The final scene culminated in a procession onto Patterson Field where an ornate throne awaited the crowning of the year’s new May Queen.

May Day truly transformed the campus into a fairytale for a day. The exhibit strives to give this nostalgic storybook feel back to Ursinus students who were never able to experience the wonders of this pageant. Instead of traditionally displayed text and artifacts, the exhibit was set up specifically to read like the pages of a fairytale. As the story of May Day is told, corresponding pictures frame the storybook pages, as if the viewer is in fact the reader, flipping through the pages of this magical tale.

 

 

Quick Links

Contact

Any questions concerning the information or photographs/artifacts used in this display?
Contact:
Caroline Gambone
cagambone@ursinus.edu

Questions concerning May Day or the Ursinusiana Collection?
Contact:
Carolyn Weigel
cweigel@ursinus.edu
Library Home