Date: May 2nd 2012

Greetings SMaD friends!

This weekend is a very special one for many reasons. Read further to find out more.

Shepherdstown May Day Celebration!
An 18 year tradition here in Shepherdstown, with a British flavor, this event brings to life the coming of spring with music and dance and theater and fanfare. We invite you to participate in one or all of the events listed below!

Saturday, May 5

4:30 PM Erection of the 22ft Maypole on the McMurran Green 5:00PM Morris Performance on King Street with Shepherdstown NW Morris, Morris Minors, Hicks with Sticks, and Arlington Northwest Morris.

Note: If you are coming into town from Maryland, we suggest taking Rt 340 to 230. With Shepherd University Graduation finishing around 4PM, there will be a great deal of traffic on Rt 45 (W. German Street). Folks coming from Martinsburg will want to use the by-pass!

8:00PM Monthly Shepherdstown Contra Dance at the War Memorial Building with a special May Day flair! This month’s dance features the 6-piece English-style Ceilidh band Frog Hammer with Andrew Marcus on accordion, Jim Besser on concertina, Glyn Collinson on guitar and bouzouki, Michael Ferguson on trombone, Bob Collins on percussion, and Richard Seidel on bass. The dances will be called by Robbin Marcus , from Atlanta, Georgia and will include a lively array of contras. There will be a beginners workshop at 7:30, the dance starts at 8PM.

9:30PM (or during the break): Weaving the Maypole by Moonlight. The 2012 Super Moon falls on this magical evening and if the weather is fine, we hope to weave the ribbons of the 22ft maypole on the lawn across the street. Other dance news… elections will take place during the announcements. Please see the note below on membership. If you like us, please support us by joining! It’s not much. Then show your support by voting for our hardworking board of directors who run our concerts, dances and other events.

SUNDAY, MAY 6 IS MAY DAY! BIG TOWN CELEBRATION… WITH MUSIC, MORRIS AND MORE!

10AM: Morris performance with Shepherdstown teams, Charm City Rapper, More or Less Morris and more on the McMurran Bricks.

12:30PM Line up for the May Day Parade… Join musicians, dancers and merry revelers on their march to the May Pole. Wear colorful attire to celebrate spring! Fools, jugglers, costumed actors and puppets are encouraged. Non-motorized floats, decorated bicycles and other celebratory vehicles welcome. For more information see the web page at http://smad.us/mayday/

1PM Parade begins, finishing with Revelry under the Maypole! Singing, dancing, morris performances, participatory dances all take place under the maypole. Please join us. Eat a piece of the morris cake for good luck and fertility in the coming year… put some money in a morris person’s hat for financial security and growing prosperity!

3:15PM Morris Dance performances at the Bavarian Inn Lovely patio overlooks the Potomac River and has the perfect stage for morris performances in a pub-like atmosphere.

4:30PM Final Performance on King Street Last show of the day… and the year for our Shepherdstown Teams… come witness the last hurrah!

About Shepherdstown Music and Dance

We are a 501 c 3 not-for-profit organization. Our programs and decisions are made by a board of directors (up to 12) chosen by our membership in an annual meeting. This always takes place during our May Dance.

We encourage you to join Shepherdstown Music and Dance if you like our events and take ownership in our organization. Not only will you receive a discount on the events that you attend, but you’ll also help insure the health of this organization. In an increasingly corporate society, it’s important to support the businesses and organizations that enrich your life, or they may disappear!

After 32 years of monthly dances, our board has found that we don’t have the attendance and volunteers to run a successful summer dance series this year, so we are taking a break and returning in September with a good range of programs. We hope you’ll join us for those… Starting with first weekend in September.

There will be a special concert program in early July with a group of young salterio (dulcimer) players from Queretaro, Mexico and their teachers. These young players are on their way to a music competition in Greece and have stopped in Shepherdstown to see where their instruments are built, by Shepherdstown resident and SMaD board member, Nick Blanton. We hope that you’ll come out and hear their fine music and make them feel welcome. The probable date is Tuesday, July 10. Location will probably be the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church. Further details will be in a future mailing.

Thanks! We hope to see you at some of our May Day events this weekend!