Community Day and the MayDay Court set

How this long tradition started and credit to the school children that made this happen so many years ago. Community Day got its start in 1913 where at that time, the town was 800 people with a few saloons, stores and a wood schoolhouse. The kids cleaned up the school grounds as a “town clean up day” suggested to the mayor to remove the graffiti. The residents got into the event and rubbish was soon gone. What couldn’t be burned was hauled away and Community Day was born. Following the clean up, Community Day included a baseball game and socializing. As the years progressed, the popular Community Day programs were varied and elaborate. In 1926, over 3,000 people attended. It took two days to build the booths and the highlight of that year was laying the cornerstone of the Masonic Lodge as well as the first crowning of the MayDay Queen - Faye Williams by King Bill Smith. 

The first royal court was started by Bertha Mahaffie, hence where the May Day Court name was incorporated into Community Day. By about 1936, Community Day had become mostly a May Fete celebration where grade school children participated with folk dances before the floral throne of the King and Queen. There were also track events, a school baseball game, a senior play in the evening and displays of different grades and school departments. Fast forward to today to the first Friday in May. Eatonville still celebrates Community Day and the MayDay Court.

The crowning of the 96th MayDay Queen Ryan Stammen by King Riley Storm takes place in the big gym at Eatonville High School on Friday, May 3 at 1 p.m.