Los Angeles
Constitution
LOYOLAN
Review
page 2
- — 51 NQ'16 - ♦ 2 A l.OYOLA MARYMOUNT PUBLICATION
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May 6, 1974
Faire folke enjoy a day of mirth at the Mayfaire
By Donna McAleer
May Day. Spring fever/ A trip back in time?
Legalized insanity - for - a - day? Loyola
Marymount ’s celebration of the Mayfaire was all of-
this and more. The “and more” was the intangible
spirit behind all the games, booths, and activities. It
was the sense of a community finally acting as
such, consequently making May 1st an extraor¬
dinary day amid the doldrums of the closing
semester.
The mall, always a pleasant, if sparsely occupied
space, was transformed into bazaar. People
thronged the booths and games. Some students bar¬
tered, trying to trim the extra dollar off the price of
some pottery or photographs.
Like most carnivals, good food was in abundance.
Everything, from the usual favorites of hot dogs,
snow cones and candied apples to the Hawaiian
Club’s more exotic offering and the Gryphon Cir¬
cle’s homemade breads and pastries, graced the oc¬
casion.
Ladies bought their flowered wreaths from the
Shell and Oar stand, exhibiting as well as living the
spirit of the day. Men and women, often gallantly
attired, meandered down the mall. All sense of
hurry and necessity had been- temporarily
banished. Leisure and long skirts reigned.
The opening ceremony, the traditional dance
around the Maypole, set the mood for the day. It
was a flurry of color, exuberance, and boysan-
dgirls. People milled around, stopping a while to
watch the folkdancers or, attracted by a riotous
roar, witnessing infamous campus personalities
receive their just rewards in S.A.M.’s Dunking
Booth.
Playful revenge and a lot of fun was provided by
the Del Rey Player’s Inquisition. For just a pittan¬
ce, without so much as a “habeus corpus” or a “by
your leave,” a person could be charged with and ar¬
rested for a crime, and duly punished. The stocks
and “walking the moat” were particularly popular
forms of chastisement.
Entertainment could be found everywhere,
whether it be watching the M’ Aidez Troupe per¬
form Nice Wanton and Everyman , sitting on the
grass sharing food and drink with a group of frienj
ds, or having one’s fortune tol&. It was the kind of
day when just people-watching was impossible
because participation was as infectious as smiling
at the jester of tumbling in the hay.
The favorites at Loyola Marymount certainly
exemplified the “ . . . lusty month of May” theory.
The Rugby team’s and Del Rey Player’s kissing
booths made ridiculously delightful profits. Far
surpassing the spirit shown any of the usual athletic
activities, Clench - a - Wench became the favorite
sport of the day. Some strategically scattered hay
and blue and pink colored cards supplied by the
English Society and a few brave pioneers were all
that were needed to get the game'going. In a crazy
fifteen yard dash, guys and girls slided, collided,
chased, ran, cavorted and eventually kissed in what
only could be described as general melee.
Even the premature clouds and chilliness could
not put a premature end to that die-hard May Day
spirit. The Terrace Room’s outdoor buffet revived
many a celebrant’s flagging energy. A group of
mimes performed, giving mute tribute to a day that
had much more going for it than verbal exchange.
So there was sort of a reluctance about the
cleaning up. Dismantling the booths, picking up the
brown bagged bottles, raking up the last of the hay
was not exactly sad, but wistful. Would another
year go by before congeniality, community, and
just plain fun were so closely linked? I’m not sure,
they turned on the sprinklers before I could make
up my mind.
