Around Des Moines

Thursday happens to be May 1st, a date that has been selected for many different types of celebrations or awareness events over the years. This special Weekend Pick looks at traditional, modern, and one-time events for May 1, 2008.

Many people in modern society celebrate the seasonal Celtic holiday of Beltane on May 1st. It just so happens that the Valley Junction farmers market for 2008 will begin on May 1st. Depending on when the rain arrives, it could be an appropriate way to acknowledge the day, particularly when you consider that Beltane is a celebration of fertility and farmers want good crops.

May Day as celebrated among American school children also means a day for baskets filled with flowers. I remember gathering lilacs and iris, putting them in a basket made out of construction paper, and leaving them on the porches of elderly neighbors. I still like to make these simple gifts to brighten someone’s day. In Hawaii, May Day is known as Lei Day.

In 1987 Gloria T. Delamar’s book, Mother Goose; From Nursery to Literature, was published. To help promote the book and to share an appreciation of the nursery rhymes, Delamar established The Mother Goose Society and designated May 1st as Mother Goose Day. A list of ideas for celebrating the day can be found on the society’s website.

International Workers’ Day also is known as an international labor day. In the United States it was generally treated with disregard during the Cold War as the Soviet Union celebrated the day with a military parade in Moscow. It might be time for Americans to return to the traditional history of the day and remember its significance. On May 1, 1886, workers across the U.S. went on strike in support of an eight-hour work day. Many people I know are finding themselves working many more than eight hours a day thanks to cell phones, e-mail, and worker shortages.

The National Day of Prayer and its counterpoint, a National Day of Reason, are held on the first Thursday of May, which happens to be May 1st this year. For the Day of Reason, the Iowa Secularists will show The God Who Wasn’t There at 7:00 p.m. on May 1st at the Botanical Center (909 Robert D. Ray Drive). Admission is free. There are also events in Cedar Rapids and in Iowa City on the 1st.

The Love Foundation has designated May 1st as Global Love Day, an international celebration of humanity. This non-profit organization was founded by author Harold W. Becker in 2000. One Becker quote found on the group’s website is, “When we know we have love in our heart, unconditional compassion becomes as natural as breathing.” I’m trying to figure out how to apply the ideas of Global Love Day to a local school board, some county supervisors and county voters, and some people seeking to be the next president of the U.S.

John McCain will be in Des Moines on May 1st to promote his healthcare plan. The town hall meeting will be held at the Polk County Convention Complex (Fifth and Grand). Doors open at 12:00 noon.

The Polk County Suicide Coalition hosts a talk on “Protecting Your Dreams: College Suicide; Why It Happens and How to Prevent It” on the 1st. The seminar will be held at 1914 Carpenter Avenue, Conference Room B, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. For more information or for crisis help, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s website or call the lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. People considering suicide and their families might appreciate some unconditional love and May Day baskets.

M.R. Field writes about local events for AroundDesMoines.com.