Author Archives: Max Kroll

May Day in the Midwest

Nationality: American
Age: 55
Residence: Vacaville, CA

Text: In the Midwest, especially in places like Iowa, May Day is celebrated on May 1st as a fun, lighthearted way to welcome spring. Kids make small “May baskets” filled with candy, popcorn, and flowers, often using simple materials like construction paper or Dixie cups with pipe cleaner handles. These baskets are left on friends’ or neighbors’ doors, and if the person catches the one who delivered it, they’re supposed to give them a kiss. The tradition is more about celebrating spring and community than the labor-related history of May Day.

Although the global version of May Day has ties to labor rights and political activism, the Midwestern American version is far more centered on themes of renewal, creativity, and community. It marks the arrival of spring after a long winter, offering an opportunity for neighbors, friends, and classmates to connect through small acts of kindness and thoughtful creativity.

Context: Oh, May Day was so fun growing up. I’m from Iowa, and every year we’d make these little May baskets for our classmates or neighbors. We’d use construction paper and just roll it into a cone or sometimes Dixie cups with pipe cleaners for handles. You’d fill them with popcorn, candy, maybe some flowers if you had them. Then you’d sneak over to someone’s house, hang the basket on their door, knock or ring the bell, and run. If they caught you, they were supposed to kiss you! That was always the funny part—sometimes it was just silly, but other times it was your way of letting a boy know you liked him. I definitely remember leaving a basket on a boy’s door I had a crush on. It wasn’t about the real meaning of May Day ready for color and fun again. It was this sweet, creative little tradition that everyone got into.

My Analysis: I find this variant of the celebration of May Day to be particularly interesting because it really has nothing to do with labor or politics in any obvious way. The heart of the celebration is simply kids getting creative, having fun, and building community with one another. It reminds me of a tradition I and many other used to do around Halloween, Boo Baskets, where you’d leave the basket full of candy and toys on a neighbors door, ring the doorbell, and run. These fun traditions are meant to create special moments for the children that participate that last in their memories for life. That is why they are so encouraged by the parents that make them happen. It’s all about reliving that fond memory through seeing your children experiment it and in that way their joy creates joy in you. On a separate note, I do believe the themes of rebirth and rest harkened to in this celebration are evocative of the celebration of labor advancements. Without the push for a larger share of leisure time made in the early 1900’s, we would not be able to enjoy the beauty of springtime in the way we can today. This welcoming of flowers and new growth reminds those local to these celebrations to take time to smell the flowers and enjoy the simple pleasures that come with the changing seasons.

Vacaville Fiesta Days

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Context: The Fiesta Days parade was so fun as a kid. It was this stretch of about four days in Vacaville, CA, where I grew up, that the whole town would get involved with this cool parade that had floats and marching bands. Afterward, there would be a carnival, kids’ events, live music, and great food. It always took place in late May, so the weather was usually great. One of the reasons it’s such a huge memory for me is because I was part of the parade in my school’s marching band. I marched and played my trumpet in that parade about four years in a row, and it was so fun. We had these cool costumes on that made you feel like you were going to pass out by the end of it with how hot you were. And we would play some silly marching band songs all the way through the parade route. I played the trumpet, so my lips were so tired by the end. Our band always won for our age group in the parade awards. But what was really fun is that after we were all done, we got to partake in the festivities—riding rides in the carnival and going to the local band concerts. Looking back, it was a great way for the community to come together in a fun, memorable way.

Analysis: One thing that stands out to me about this festival is how strongly it’s tied to youth participation. It’s not just something for kids to watch, it’s something they can actively participate in and make special. Getting kids involved as active members in this way ensures that when they grow up, they’ll want to continue to be active members. These traditions help build a sense of belonging in a community. Everyone has a role to play, even if it’s just to enjoy the parade and eat funnel cake. These kinds of yearly events that bring the local area together in this time of changing seasons have the effect of marking time, you know when the weather starts to get nice and warm it’s time for the Fiesta Days. These are the types of events that make people feel good about where they come from. No matter where the children that participate live when they grow up, they’ll continue to hold the joy and pride that this made them feel about their hometown.

Algonquin Founders’ Day Festival

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Context: Founders’ Day has always been a big deal in my hometown, Algonquin. The festival itself officially started in 2004, but the parade’s been going on for way longer, like over 60 years. My dad’s been involved since before I was even born, especially with the parade board, and I kind of grew up helping out. I’ve done stuff like reaching out to businesses, schools, marching bands and other local groups to help get the parade together. The parade goes right down Main Street along the river, and it’s a big deal. There’s floats, marching bands, kids walking around, local politicians and even just people from the community who want to be part of it. It’s always packed. People from nearby towns come out too. It’s not just the parade, there’s a whole weekend of stuff afterwards. There’s a carnival, food, live music. One of my favorite things as a kid was the boat race. I think what’s really cool about the festival is how it brings people together. On top of having fun, it’s about being proud of where you live. Like, through helping out, I’ve gotten to know so many people. Like people in local government, police, even the mayor. And I think that’s part of why the festival exists in the first place. A lot of the people on the board are involved in community and philanthropy, and they really care about giving back.

Interpretation: I think the Founders’ Day festival is a great way to bring the community together in a way that blends tradition, fun, and community service. Not only is it about honring the town’s history, it’s also about building memories in the present. I love how popel of all ages come together to either be a part of or watch the parade, race cardboard boats, and have a good time at the carnival. It reminds me of the annual summer festival in my hometown, they become a sort of social glue. They give people a reason to be proud of where they are from and be part of something collective. The Founders’ Day Festival is a great example of how rituals don’t have to be ancient or formal to carry meaning. They can be recent and still just as deeply rooted in the values of community.

The Renaissance Fair

Nationality: American
Age: 54
Occupation: Unemployed
Residence: Vacaville, CA
Language: English

Text: The Renaissance Fair is a themed festival that recreates aspects of life during the Renaissance era. Held annually in places like Novato, California, the fair features costumed participants, staged jousting matches, medieval-style music and dancing, handcraft demonstrations, and food like roasted turkey legs. Visitors often dress up and speak in faux “Old English” dialects, fully immersing themselves in the historical fantasy. In the 1970s and 1980s, the fair in Novato was a major regional event that lasted for a month, attracting people from all over Northern California. While many attended only for a day, it offered an intense and theatrical experience of a different time period.

Context: Yeah, we used to go to the Renaissance Fair back in the ’70s and early ’80s—probably about four or five times when I was a kid, like from age seven to twelve. It was in Novato, and people came from all over Northern California for it. It ran for a month, but we’d just go one day each year with the family.

Everyone really went all in. People dressed in full costume—like knights, peasants, royalty—all of it. They talked in these funny fake Old English accents the whole time, like “Good morrow, my lord!” kind of stuff. There were beer-drinking competitions, workshops, handcrafts, singing, dancing, and this big jousting arena set up in the middle. It was dusty and hot—always in the summer—so I mostly remember the heat, the dirt, and how packed it would get.

The tents were set up in these big circles, kind of like a village. And everyone was walking around eating those giant cooked turkey legs. As a kid, it felt like stepping into another world. I remember the singing and dancing being really cool, and just seeing people so into it. It was like going to a regular fair, but with way more character.

Analysis: I find this recurring fair very fascinating as it claims to be centered around the time period of the Renaissance, yet is not very strict about historical accuracy. To me what it seems to be more focused on is imagination, performance, and community. It appears to be less of a history lesson and more of a form of storytelling, where everyone becomes a character in a large whimsical play. While there are technically performers and audience members, the involvement and integration of both makes the lines blur between the two. This type of immersion into a different world is not the type of memory a kid forgets easily. I think that’s why these type of event continue to be so popular. They offer families a way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

I think festivals also reflect a more modern desire for play and theatricality in adulthood. This type of festival demands buy in and participation, you must create the joy rather than just receive it.

A.B. Rent-a-Camel

Nationality: American
Age: 82
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Tucson, AZ

A guy needs to travel across the desert and the only way to get across this desert is by camel. He comes across a place that rents camels called A.B. Rent-a-Camel. He asks A.B., who runs the place, for a camel and A.B. says “follow me” and shows him to his camel. The man notices there’s a bag of bricks on the side of the camel but thinks nothing of it. A.B. says “before you leave you need to take the camel to the watering trough and have him drink, so the man does. He begins his journey and about halfway through his camel stops walking and sits down. The man tries slapping and yelling at the camel but nothing will make him move. Later in the day A.B. comes up on his camel and asks what happened. The man replies, “it just stoped”. A.B. asks “well did you brick him?”. The man says “what’s bricking?”. A.B. says “Well when the camel is drinking from the trough you take the two bricks from the bag and slam them against his nuts”. The man says “doesn’t that hurt?” and A.B. replies, “not if you keep your thumbs on the outside of the bricks.”

Informant Analysis: I first heard this joke from my father and it’s been one of my favorites to tell ever since. No matter what party you’re at or who is there, it’s sure to get a laugh from anyone. My father had lot’s of good jokes but this was definitely my favorite of them all.

My Analysis: This joke, passed down from the informant’s father, works as a way to connect and get people laughing together. The over-the-top punchline and ridiculous imagery use discomfort to catch people off guard and make the joke hit harder. The fake “bricking” technique is a funny twist on the kind of weird advice older generations pass down. It plays like a long-winded story that ends in a totally unexpected way, which is part of what makes it so memorable. More than just a joke, it shows how humor can be a way to share connection, surprise, and a little chaos.