The City of Port Coquitlam still celebrates May Day. Instead of going by the wayside as acknowledging the day has done in so many municipalities, in the city of PoCo the celebration has grown so the festivities now take a week. The highlight this Saturday will be the May Day Parade.
It should be a big one this year, unless people drop out because of the unprecedented heat predicted. This year marks the 100th anniversary of May Day festivities in Port Coquitlam. To honour this fact, an exhibit was set up in the city's new community centre. One of the items on display was the throne for the May Queen.
While I was there taking in the display, a few other people stopped to look too. It's great to see some interest from sports minded members of a younger generation. Unfortunately, there have also been complaints to do with the non-inclusivity of celebrating a Queen, a role only open to female students. But that's history for you, often politically incorrect. Recently we've seen statues of once lauded men toppled due to what they represent about our past. I understand the sentiment but the past happened. We learn from that and improve how people are treated but it doesn't alter what was. If the person who complained had read more of the information on display, they could have seen that a male ambassador was included as part of the May Day Royal Party, and innovation introduced in 1993. As it is, a heritage society seeks to present stories about what happened, not what people of the future would have deemed acceptable.
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