Stephen Bubul, Minneapolis
The evening of the last MayDay Parade and Festival in 2019, I was at the Avalon Theater on Lake Street helping unload trucks full of puppets that had been built by hundreds of hands in the community workshops leading up to MayDay ("MayDay Festival is back, reimagined for the community," April 18). When the last truck had been unloaded, the last ritual of the day began. Scores of MayDay artists and volunteers were resting and feasting, telling stories of the day and sharing their joy. Late that evening Clyde Bellecourt, a founder of the American Indian Movement and longtime south Minneapolis resident, came to tell his story and to speak of the impact of the work of In the Heart of the Beast in his community. He prayed and told of his life and work and how puppetry and performance had helped transform the lives of his grandchildren and many other children in the neighborhood. He thanked MayDay Artistic Director Sandy Spieler for her partnership and leadership over many decades, and spoke of his love for the rituals of MayDay. This is the legacy of MayDay that will always be with me.
Dan Newman, Aitkin, Minn.
It is with a heavy heart that I must stand to respond to the interview in "MayDay is back, reimagined for the community." I have been a part of In the Heart of the Beast's MayDay celebration for most of its history, first as an audience member watching the parade, then as a ceremony participant, volunteer and HOBT's interim managing director. My favorite role was as the embodiment of the Greek goddess Demeter's daughter returning spring to a barren land.
MayDay started around the same time as the Pride Festival and was one of the few celebrations for people of all persuasions to be "out," to dance and be jubilant in a safe and nonviolent place. It is a high holiday for those of us who celebrate the Earth, the sky, the river, the prairie, the woods, the Tree of Life, and the welcoming of the sun to this winter land. It is built from the visions and efforts of hundreds of community members who create the annual "red" and "green" (political and ancient earth tradition) story. All are invited to participate in the inclusive community workshops to make the puppets. The work builds a sense of community upon the love of the street, the park and the land. The months of rehearsing, the children and performers, encouraging groups to join in the "people's" section, and the performance of the annual ceremony to highlight an important issue or theme (mined from the zeitgeist) makes this people's MayDay a Minneapolis treasure. It is watched by tens of thousands of kids and seniors and families who line Bloomington Avenue to view the procession to the park. At the end of the ceremony, the Tree of Life and the assembled masses call in the sun, and a red boat flotilla braves the waves and wind of Powderhorn Lake to mark the renewal of spring. The explosion of joy and color and music that accompany the dancers around the Tree of Life May Pole lift our spirits and welcome the new season. It is a ritual that many of us depend upon.
