Mendon may be a small Utah community, but one of its most distinctive traditions has lasted for generations. Mendon May Day is a spring celebration built around music, dancing, maypoles and the crowning of a May Queen, following customs that date back to the town’s pioneer period. The celebration has remained closely connected to its original form. Children learn traditional dances and songs, while the May Queen remains at the center of the event. The source notes that the celebration is traditionally held on the first Saturday in May at 10:00 a.m. on the town square, regardless of the weather.
How Mendon May Day began
The first Mendon May Day can be traced to the spring of 1863. A group of local girls walked south toward an old millpond, collecting native spring flowers along the way. Only two of their names are preserved in the account: Mary Willie and Seny Sorensen.
Many early settlers had come from England and Scandinavian countries, where May Day celebrations were already familiar seasonal traditions. During the outing, the girls decided to choose a May Queen from among themselves. The exact method of selection is unknown, but Seny Sorensen was chosen and crowned with a handmade wreath of fresh flowers.
A later historical account preserves the event in simple terms: Mary Willie, Seny Sorensen and other girls went to gather flowers, selected Seny as queen and began a tradition that continued afterward as Mendon May Day.
Mendon’s first May Queen
Seny Sorensen is generally recognized as the first Queen of the May in Mendon. She had arrived in Mendon with her parents in November 1859 and was nine years old when the first celebration took place. According to the source, she also appears to have been the only queen selected spontaneously by other children rather than through an organized community process.
As the celebration became established, it developed into a more structured community tradition. Songs, dances and speeches were preserved and passed to new generations, while local children continued to take part in the spring ceremony. By 2010, Mendon had crowned a May Queen 148 times, showing how consistently the tradition had been maintained over nearly a century and a half.
Why Mendon May Day is worth seeing
For visitors, Mendon May Day offers something different from a typical local festival. Its main attraction is not a large entertainment program but the continuity of a tradition that began with a small group of children in 1863. The maypole dances, spring songs, and crowning ceremony connect modern Mendon directly with the customs of its early settlers. For travelers already exploring Cache Valley or looking for a short spring trip in northern Utah, the event adds a strong local history element to a visit to this otherwise quiet community.