About halfway to the armory, he May Day procession is passing on Jefferson and their way to 8th street, I'm down below on the other side of the railroad tracks and a car honks and waves. I wave back, thinking that its someone I know, but its not. "I'm just waving at the parade." the driver of the Impala at 7th and Jefferson explains. That's about what May Day seems to have boiled down to this year, just another parade in Olympia.
Well, maybe not "just another parade." As parades go, its certainly way down on one side of the spectrum down past the Procession of the Species and pretty far away from the Lakefair parade. But, yes May Day has become established. Now in its fourth year, May Day has its own publicity staff (however underground they are they're still a publicity staff), it has walled off its own day and despite this year's poor showing, its own following.
(To expand on the poor showing, I disagree with the Olympian's assessment of 300 marchers. Maybe 150, but nowhere near 300 -- and nowhere near as enthusiastic as the first few years).
When Dan I surveyed the situation early in the afternoon we where joking around that next year we should get one of those Pepsi signs that corner stores get for fairs and NASCAR races and have it say "BLANK Welcomes May Day marchers." That would put the stamp on May Day.
One thing you have to credit May Day with this year is that they at least took an ambling route from the fountain to the Armory. It would have been nice for the marchers to have had the fountain on as well. Anyway, they started out as far as I could tell heading east on 4th, then turning on south on Capitol. At this point I was still trying to find a parking spot downtown so it seemed like for awhile I was being chased by the marchers. They must have turned down 5th and then gotten back onto fourth, but they eventually made it all the way up to 8th and Plum where they made a relative b-line to the armory at Legion and Eastside.
I took off at about 2:30, not much was going on, and I assume as May Day happens in the future, not much else will go on that anybody feared in the first year. And, as long as Steve Hughes is around the Messenger will make sure what is going to happen will be known. In the first year, everyone was worried about a repeat of the WTO violence in Seattle would happen in Olympia. None of that has happened in the four years May Day has been in Olympia, and May Day has slowly begun to make itself established.
So after last year actually last year taking part in an anti May Day campaign, I can accept May Day as it is now. Face it, May Day is part of Olympia and will be part of Olympia for the forseeable future. No, May Day marchers don't try to get permission from the city or even work with the city, but that would be contrary to their point though, wouldn't it. But, on the same token, this year they did let everyone know where they were going to start and where they're going to end up tonight. As long as May Day is not a big secret for the cool folks who can sit at the cool table, its fine.
Next year, Pepsi welcomes May Day Marchers -- I can see it.
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