| The Palo Alto History Project |
| The May Fete Parade University Avenue |
| The May Fete Parade: Marching Toward Tomorrow In a sense, Palo Alto is really a tale of two cities -- one looking forward, one looking back. There is the Palo Alto of the future -- capital of Silicon Valley, center of technological innovation, home to Ideo, PARC and Hewlett-Packard. But there is also a quieter Palo Alto, with its great reverence for the past. At times, it can still seem a sleepy small town -- especially when strolling down the tree-shaded roads of Professorville, taking in an old favorite at the Stanford, or standing in the lobby of the Cardinal Hotel. While techie firms at Stanford Office Park, swanky University Avenue restaurants and the lively late-night bar scene speak to a city on the move, the Lawn Bowls Club, breakfast at the Creamery and 25 MPH speed limits on the city’s shady traffic corridors, represent a more leisurely past. Indeed this essential tension between the old and the new is at the heart of many of Palo Alto’s political conflicts. Issues ranging from architectural preservation to office development to neighborhood zoning have all been part of a discussion concerning what type of city Palo Alto wants to be in the 21st Century. But these competing visions also provide Palo Alto with the best of both worlds. Cosmopolitan, diverse, and forward thinking, Palo Alto exudes the cultural liberalism and artsy awareness that one would expect from a university city. And yet on certain days of the year, Palo Alto can seem as small-town and quaint as George Bailey's Bedford Falls. One such day each year is May the fifth. For 85 years, the city has taken that day to close off downtown so that kids can celebrate the coming of spring by marching in the May Fete Parade. Surely, if there is anything that recalls the Rockwellian innocence of yesteryear, it is a downtown parade. And although there have been some lean years for the May Fete tradition in recent decades, the parade has bounced back and once again draws big crowds. Such was the case this past Saturday, as Palo Alto’s old and new came out to support its paraders. Residents lined both sides of University Avenue from Emerson to Middlefield, cheering on Palo Alto’s grade school floats, its middle school and high school marching bands, and the members of the Children’s Theatre, celebrating their 75th anniversary. And if some might find the sight of a main street parade a bit on the hokey side, the participating youngsters certainly had no such inkling. Hundreds and hundreds of kids scootered, ran pets and rode in floats down University Avenue with wide smiles on their faces -- much as they have for more than eight decades. The parade also managed to bring out the newness and diversity of a city with such a bifurcated character. For instance, Palo Alto’s 21st Century environmental consciousness was on display when the Busycle came plodding down University Ave, powered by the foot power of 14 weary peddlers, including the city’s mayor. And as the cardio kick boxers of Studio Kicks, the spunky dancers of Dance Connection and the girls of Gold Star Cheer and Hip-Hop marched past, it was clear this was more than just an old-fashioned parade. As the parade wound down, I positioned myself for a photograph. I managed to find the same spot along the avenue where another cameraman had stood during a different May Fete Parade more than 50 years ago. The background behind the marchers had changed remarkably. High-end interior design firms and noodle bars had replaced the beauty salons and old-style department stores of the past. Not a single store remained the same. But surprisingly, the girls marching in white dresses and hats in the photograph that I was holding neatly matched the image in my viewfinder of kids marching in jeans and T-shirts. Comparing the photographs, I wondered if a different group of children might be marching down University Avenue 85 years from now. Would this tradition endure or would the May Fete Parade be long gone by 2092? Of course only time will tell, but I’d like to think that if Palo Alto can savor its past as it continues marching forward, someday another May Fete photographer may be looking for that same spot along University Avenue. -Matt Bowling (Note: This article ran in the Palo Alto Daily News on May 13th, 2007) |
| The map below shows the University Avenue East neighborhood |
| Palo Alto: Then & Now |
| 2007 |
| circa 1944 |
| Children beginning the parade down University Avenue. Wilson's Restaurant is visible on the left |
| 2 boys pull a homemade float in 1946 |
| Girls in costume pulling a wagon along University Avenue. The Altamont Creamery is in the background |
| A student marching band marches past Keeble's camera shop and the Bi-Rite market on University Avenue |
| Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto drives the "Buscycle" (PA Weekly) |
| Girls with their dolls and buggies march in front of the Safeway Store on University in the 1920s or '30s. |
| Pogo stick jumpers Penny Regenas and Mary Schonker jump down Hamilton Avenue in front of City Hall in 1974. The Radio Shack store and Cardinal Hotel at the corner of Ramona Street are visible behind them. |
| Costumed kids lined up outside the Lucie Stern Center in 1954 |
| Donna Zulman and Annie Remsen from Dureneck School lead a group of children wearing costumes in 1984. |
| Dragons at the 2007 May Fete Parade |
| The Gunn Marching Band at the 2007 May Fete Parade |
| The 2007 May Fete Parade making the turn down Middlefield Road |
| Sources: Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto Daily News, Palo Alto Weekly, City of Palo Alto Website |
| "My first recollection was standing on the curb with my mom, watching Sgt. Preston of the Canada Mounties and his dog & that tall horse with the man in the red jacket. Wough! Later we pulled wagons. And as a rec leader we made a Float Float, Jack in the Box and one year a Hawaiian theme. My mom was there to take photos. My own children were in JLS and the Gunn band. It's a tradition. I have even gone by myself, and have wondered what people from other places would think. Palo Alto is creative." -Penny |
| Memories added by our readers: |
| "As a child in the 1970's, my brother and I would be a part of the parade pulling our wagon full of chickens (yes...chickens in Palo Alto!). Later in middle school at JLS and high school at Paly, I was a part of the parade in the band. Now, as a teacher in Palo Alto, I love seeing the same level of excitement on my students' faces as they enter the raffle each year to be a lucky participant on the school float. While I've seen Palo Alto grow and change over the years, this is one area where I'm glad it hasn't changed much!" -Katie |