Dig out your cowboy boots and Stetsons because this year's annual Ladner Pioneer May Days, set for May 24 to 26 in Memorial Park, is going a little bit country with a Wild, Wild West theme.
"With a theme like Wild, Wild West, you can be sure there will be something to appeal to everyone, whether it's the music, the food or the parade floats," says May Days committee co-chair Jackey Zellweger. "It's a theme that offers a lot of variety and a lot of fun."
The second longest running May Days in the province, Ladner Pioneer May Days started in 1896. Still going strong today, between 10,000 and 12,000 people take in May Days every year.
The festivities begin on Friday evening with discounted midway rides for kids. Saturday is filled with a broad range of top-notch family entertainers and many free activities and entertainment for children, including a petting zoo and pony rides.
Sunday activities kick off with a pancake breakfast followed at noon by the parade, featuring the May Queen float. The two-kilometre parade route leads through the heart of historic Ladner Village and culminates at the stage in Memorial Park where the traditional May Pole dance and May Queen crowning ceremony take place. (View every May Queen dating back to the first May Days online at www.ladnermaydays.com.)
The remainder of the fair is filled with live music, entertainers, a craft fair, a food fair and the annual fastball tournament.
Zellweger notes that none of this would be possible without the generous support of sponsors and volunteers.
Businesses provide sponsorship and gifts in-kind while volunteers undertake all the planning and day-of logistics. It takes almost 30 volunteers just to manage traffic.
Anyone wishing to sponsor or volunteer at this year's May Days should email [email protected] or [email protected], respectively. You can also find out more about the event at www.ladnermaydays.com or by following May Days on Twitter @ LadnerMayDays.
