ArtsCulture & LangleyAdvance
Heritage
Thursday, May 16, 2013
A15
Celebration started nine decades ago (Upper left) West Langley School Maypole Dance Group, 1935. Back row (left to right): Shirley Muench, Andrea Nordman (top of car) Doreen Hooker and Donalda Matheson. Middle row: Dorothy Woof, Irene Bethell, Joan Bethell, Barbara Harris, Doris McDonald, and Veronica Wood (on fender). Front seated: Kathleen McVicar (Kay Kells) and Lily Kirby. The car belongs to the school principal, Nancy McLeod. Langley Centennial Museum photo 3453 (Mid right) Anne Berry (centre) as May Queen during May Day festivities, ca. 1915. Langley Centennial Museum photo 5859 (Below) Record of May Day Queens were kept, lovingly illustrated, for many years by Jenny Simpson (later Jenny Lewis). Her signature is in the bottom right-hand corner of this document from 1932, along with the maids of honour from local schools. She was involved with the event for a long time; for many years she served as Fort Langley’s Queen Mother. Langley Centennial Museum photo 2010.40.06
Honouring Queen Victoria is part of local history. by Kobi Christian and Sarah Sewell Special to the Langley Advance
Langley Advance files
Langley’s April Lunn will be back at the Cloverdale Rodeo this weekend, with her Porkaholic teammates, to try to win the second annual barbecue competition.
Cloverdale Rodeo
Pork’s on the menu
Langley businesswoman Angie Quaale is once again organizing the Cowboy Cookoff & Rib Fest. by Roxanne Hooper rhooper@langleyadvance.com
A
ngie Quaale loves watching someone who has never eaten “real” barbecue have their first taste. “It’s addictive and when that light goes on and someone understands it, it’s magic,” said Quaale, the owner of Langley’s Well Seasoned gourmet food store and organizer of the second annual Cloverdale Rodeo Cowboy Cookoff & Rib Fest happening this weekend at the Cloverdale fairgrounds. “Barbecue is growing in Canada. In the eight years I have been involved, it has grown from two competitions to 10-plus, with more than 30 teams,” said the Cowboy Cookoff producer and self-proclaimed B.C. Queen of the Q. While barbecuing is admittedly a passion for Quaale, she said it’s the people in these events who keep her involved – people like fellow Langleyite April Lunn and her team of Porkaholics, who are returning to compete again in this year’s event.
May Day celebrations go back hundreds of years in Europe, where the coming of spring was celebrated on the First of May. Langley has a long history of May Day festivities and events, with this year marking Langley’s official 91st May Day celebration. The birthday of Queen Victoria has been celebrated in Canada since 1845, when parliament decided to make her birthday, May 24, an official holiday to celebrate the monarchy. After Queen Victoria died in 1901, it was decided by law that the Monday before May 25 would be known as Victoria Day – a day to celebrate ties to the British Empire and Victoria’s role as the “Mother of Confederation.” Victoria Day, and the holiday associated with it, became the time that British Columbians celebrate May Day. For many years there were two May Day celebrations – and two May Queens – one in Langley Prairie, and the other in Fort Langley, where the event is still being held today.
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It’s actually unclear, though, when May Day celebrations were first held in Langley. An early photo in the collection of the Langley Centennial Museum shows Anne Berry, daughter of J.W. and Lydia Berry of Belmont Farm, being crowned as May Queen in approximately 1915. She would have been about 12 years old at the time. Another article in The Weekly Columbian newspaper, out of New Westminster, reports that a May Day Social was held in 1905. A 1966 Langley Advance newspaper article notes that
Langley’s first May Day Queen was Alice Harper, crowned at Langley Prairie in 1921. However, an article in the British Columbian noted that Langley Prairie’s 1923 May Queen, Helen Lee of Willoughby, was the first May Queen in the municipality. Fort Langley’s May Day celebrations started in 1923, when Nellie Houston was crowned May Day Queen. May pole dancing was an important part of early events, and school children from around the municipality would compete. Accuracy, appearance, style of dance, and ribbons used were scored. West Langley School’s May pole group, pictured here in 1935, performed quite well at Langley Prairie events, winning first place in 1932.
What do to, what to do Take part in nine decades of history as Fort Langley hosts the May Day Parade and Celebrations this coming Monday. The 91st annual May Day is hosted by the Fort Langley Business Improvement Association. Festivities include a pancake breakfast, May Pole dancing, rides and vendors in Fort Langley Park, the Fort Langley Lions chicken BBQ at the Mary Avenue Food Court, free admission to Fort Langley National Historic Site all day, displays and activities at the BC Farm Museum all day, clothing swap and exhibits open at the Langley Centennial Museum all day The Fort Langley Evangelical Free Church is inviting people to stop by for a free hot dog and drink after the parade. The church serving up from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is at 8870 Glover Rd. The church is also offering that all-important pit stop – the use of its washrooms that day. And folks from the church will even be around to help with parking on this very busy day.
May 25th & 26th • 11am-4pm
Barbara Boldt’s
Spring Open House
ORIGINAL ART, FEATURING LANDSCAPES AND EARTHPATTERNS Come and visit and see my new paintings! Refreshments will be served.
604.888.5490
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25340 84th Avenue, Langley
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barbaraboldt.com