Annual Maypole Fest will be Saturday

By Times Staff | Friday, May 09, 2008

The Semper Fidelis Club will present its annual Maypole Fest from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Bethel AME Church, 323 W. 11th St., Davenport.

The theme this year is “Rainbow World,” which highlights the beauty and strength born of diversity.

Boys and girls 5 to 12 years old are eligible to participate in the event. In addition to making new friends from around the Quad-Cities, they can take part in community improvement programs such as a cleanup project that was held May 3.

Participants also will be featured in the fest’s annual souvenir book and participate in skits and songs with the other contestants under the direction of Dorian Byrd, who is the director of the Imani Dancers and this year’s coordinator. Participants are encouraged to raise money by soliciting ads for the souvenir book and through other creative means.

There is also an opportunity to showcase their individual abilities during the talent portion of the program and a question-answer segment

as well.

In addition, the young contestants can participate in the wrapping of the maypole and earn money for college in the form of savings bonds.

At the event, the contestant who has raised the most money is crowned the

Maypole king or queen.   

Snacks will be served to contestants and guests immediately after the conclusion of the fest.

More than 100 young people have benefited directly from the annual Maypole Fest over the years, and Semper Fidelis has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships and cash prizes while also contributing to numerous charitable organizations in the Quad-Cities.

The Maypole Fest is Semper Fidelis’ largest fundraiser. The club was founded in 1958 to aid women, children and others in need in the Quad-Cities. It is a member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (www.nacwc.org), America’s oldest black women’s organization.  

For more information, contact Semper Fidelis club member Doris Seawright at

(309) 793-4633.