Name/Title
Ward-Belmont 1948 May Festival Program (1949 Program Draft)Entry/Object ID
2023.003Tags
Ward-BelmontScope and Content
A program for the 1948 Ward-Belmont May Festival, presented by the Department of Physical Education. Held on the West Campus on Saturday, May 15, 1948, at 3:45 P.M. The program consisted of five parts: a procession, the presentation of the May Queen and her court, seven dance performances ("The Dances"), a folk dance and a demonstration of exercises (standing, walking, running, and leaping) by the physical fitness and conditioning classes, and the May Pole dance. The 1948 May Queen was Betty Irene Smith.
The program has extensive edits made in pencil by a Mr. Ben Shields, as a draft of the next year's program. These edits are reflected in the 1949 May Festival program (see 2023.4).Context
The annual May Day Festival was described as "the highlight of the social year at Ward-Belmont" (Milestones, 1945). The festivities involved dancing, processions, the crowning of the May Queen and her court, and the traditional May Pole Dance. The Lady of the Hall, Harpeth Hall's highest honor, evolved from the May Queen ceremony.Collection
Harpeth Hall School ArchivesLexicon
Search Terms
Ward-Belmont, May Day, May Festival, May Queen, 1948, 1949
