BELLE — The 2022 May Day celebration will mix the old with the new as all previously crowned queens from 1961 to the present are invited back to the Belle High School gym to show off their crowns during the annual event.

Since Belle Elementary Principal Vanessa Feeler first announced the 60th special celebration and added that they did not have a complete list of former queens, The Maries County Advocate created a Facebook post to the general public with a request to fill in the blanks. Bev and Ty Abel went above and beyond to find a complete list of May Day queens.

I was born in 1956, so my kindergarten year would have been 1961-62,” Abel said. “The kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brewer, would have all of the kids skip outside at recess and if she pointed at you, you knew you were going to get to wind the Maypole. You couldn’t participate unless you could skip.”

Whether it was because there were only so many ribbons or for the honor of being involved, participating in the winding of the Maypole was a competitive event. Abel can’t remember why the May Day celebration was a big deal, but it was an honor to participate in winding the ribbons.

“It was a big deal here,” she said. “We have done it for so many years. It has always been the winding of the Maypole and the queen has always been a big deal in Belle. The first queen was (Rita) Branson (1961) and I don’t know if they did the Maypole then or not.”

Abel’s husband Ty also participated in the Maypole winding when he was young. Later, when Abel began teaching she volunteered to instruct the children each year to wind the Maypole for the celebration. In 1985 she was hired to teach in Owensville and early on in her career was asked to instruct the children at that school on how to weave the Maypole for the Tulip Festival.

“I don’t know why they started the Maypole,” she said. “I can’t tell you why.”

Having participated in both celebrations, Abel said the same song was used for both ceremonies. Former music teacher John Hancock recorded the music for Abel to use during practice. 

“In Belle, someone plays the song on the piano and a chord tells them when to turn,” Abel explained. “Everything they do is in two turns. They go around two times for each weave. They do the spiderweb once because there is not enough ribbon to go more. Then the single weave and a double weave to name a few.”

The Maypoles in Belle are made of wood and during the event, a spring bouquet of flowers decorates the top.

“Sometimes they are fresh sometimes they are silk,” Abel said.

Along with herself and her husband, the couple’s four children and all but one of their grandchildren have participated in the winding of the Maypole.

“Chloe missed it due to COVID in 2020,” Abel said about the canceled event.

It stands to reason with many years of participating and teaching the May Day celebration and Maypole winding that Abel would have a passion to help find a list of the previously crowned queens.

For hour intervals in the following weeks leading up to the celebration, Abel poured over old yearbooks, making a few mistakes through the years because of inconsistent reporting in each record. In the end, she was the primary contributor to helping find a comprehensive list of 60 May Day queens.

“It’s a neat thing,” Abel said. “I had yearbooks from way back, and my husband’s mom had them too!”

Ty Abel’s mother, Doris Abel, was also a teacher in Belle for many years.

“I found them all with everyone’s yearbooks,” she said. “The only one I couldn’t find was 1978 — Linda Moore, but I called people who graduated that year.” 

The May Day celebration will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (April 29) in the big gym at the Belle High School. All past queens are invited to wear their crowns to the event, formal or casual wear are both acceptable, and be introduced by year. 

Any questions may be addressed to BES Principal Vanessa Feeler at 573-259-3800.

Editors note: This list of queens (column at bottom) was completed by looking at annual yearbooks and reporting was inconsistent. If we happen to have put a queen in the wrong year we are sorry. Please call the Advocate at 573-859-3323 so we can correct our records. 

May Day queens

1961 - Rita Branson

1962 - Linda Mahaney

1963 - Phyllis Ridenhour

1964 - Kay Shanks

1965 - Janie McQueen

1966 - Donna Phillips

1967 - Vicky Campbell

1968 -  Marilyn Wilson

1969 - Joyce Branson

1970 - Crystal Thomas

1971 - Chris James

1972 - Ronda Newbound

1973 - Sharon Calloway

1974 - Lois Runge

1975 - Linda Moore

1976 - Lisa Sherman

1977 - Debbie Goff Abel

1978 - Brenda Walters

1979 - Jana Henley

1980 - Tena Hale

1981 - Marsha Bock

1982 - Micki Donze

1983 - Trina Knott

1984 - Monica Hilton

1985 - Susan Smith

1986 - Sherrie Oliver

1987 - Tonya Jacquin

1988 - Tommi Ridenhour Pogue

1989 - Sonya Abel

1990 - Denene Collier

1991 - Tina Hance

1992 - Frankie Hicks

1993 - Gina Weller-Tegart

1994 - Carrie (Simpson) Ridenhour

1995 - Chrysa King

1996 - Sara Baumgartner Rehmert

1997 - Carrie Combs

1998 - Emily Lange Bock

1999 - Anna Smith

2000 - Brooke Fredendall

2001 - Tanel Robertson

2002 - Ashley Marquart

2003 - Alicia Massman (Kneeskern)

2004 - Kate Duckett

2005 - Elizabeth Prater

2006 - Adrien Moreland-Helmig

2007 - Emily Kaesser (Baumgartner)

2008 - Jordan Wilson

2009 - Shaya Holt (Kinsey)

2010 - Prezley Duncan

2011 - Morgan Otto

2012 - Sara Wolford

2013 - Madison Kneeskern

2014 - Kayla Baumgartner

2015 -  Calah Tackett

2016 - Ashlyn Kimble

2017 - Gracelyn Scott

2018 - Jenna Rasmussen

2019 - Mya Honse.

2020 - NO QUEEN (COVID)

2021 - Keleigh Guinn