Shepherdstown Music and Dance would like to thank the Corporation of Shepherdstown, the Town Council, Mayor Jim Auxer, Shepherd University, the Shepherdstown Police and the Bavarian Inn for their help in making our 18th annual May Celebration a big success.

The weekend featured a parade, dancing, music and revelry from British May traditions and has been an annual community event in Shepherdstown since 1994. A well attended parade of merry revelers from town and afar was greeted with enthusiasm for music, dance performances and colorful costumes as they made their way down German Street to the town maypole set up on the McMurran Lawn.

This year’s celebration was inaugurated with a poem and an Arbor Day proclamation by Mayor Jim Auxer and a greeting by Shepherdstown Green Man, Michael Pratt. Terry Tucker emceed the program featuring three local morris dance groups, the Shepherdstown Ladies in White led by Meaghan Anderson and dance groups from Baltimore, Charlottesville and Richmond, Va.

The Morris Minors, an 18 year tradition, led by Katherine Ross was a highlight for many, with both younger girls doing a shuttle dance and the older girls doing a garland dance heralded by two of the groups youngest dancers. The 22 foot tall maypole bedecked with purple and green ribbons was woven twice, once on Saturday night by the light of the “super moon” and then again on Sunday with a group of audience members of all ages participating in the wrap.

After the hour long revelry under the pole, dancers and audience members enjoyed two more morris dance performances with the adult teams at the Bavarian Inn and on the McMurran bricks at 5 p.m. Now the town maypole is safely stashed away waiting until our next celebration. Thanks to all the handsome men, lovely maidens and beautiful children who make this event so special.

Joanie Blanton and the Board of Directors

Shepherdstown Music and Dance