Memories
of May Heath
May
Heath and the Saugatuck Centennial of 1930
-Eighty
Years Ago This Month
May at the 1930 Centennial Ball
Local residents of mature years
may remember the Saugatuck "centennial" of 1968 and the
Forty years earlier, on July
14-15-16, 1930, there was a first centennial. This one celebrated the
settlement of the community by William Butler, who arrived here in the fall of
1829. May Heath was General Chairman of the 1930 centennial committee. She
instigated the celebration, orchestrated the many events, and even wrote a 228
page local history which was published in time for the celebrations.
In November 1929, May had
attended the Van Buren County Centennial in Paw Paw,
MI to get ideas for a Saugatuck celebration. On Feb 14, 1930, the Commercial
Record reported on a public meeting in the village hall, during which May Heath
"was chosen chairman of the meeting
and also chairman of the Centennial organization, a wise choice, since she will
inspire the whole corps of assistants by her own enthusiasm. She was also given
power to appoint all the committees and the several committee chairmen will
form an executive committee to formulate and promote a working plan."
The July dates were selected to align with the annual Jackson Park (
The next month, the paper
announced Mrs. Heath was writing "a history of the early days of
Saugatuck" and she solicited input from readers. In April, the name became
"Saugatuck Centennial and Homecoming" as an emphasis was being given
to the return of former residents to the festivities. Chairs were appointed for
the following committees: Publicity; Program-Speakers; Program-Music; Band
Music; Exhibits; Evening Water Carnival-Boat Races-Venetian Night Parade;
Indian Relics; Parade Arrangements; Marking Landmarks; Flower Exhibit; Posters;
Float Suggestions; Old Time Pictures; Art Exhibit.
A "Centennial Open
Forum" began appearing in the Commercial Record in early April in which
Mrs. Heath shared plans, letters from former residents, poems and other items
of interest each week leading up to the celebrations. Over 2000 pamphlets were
distributed in
MONDAY, July 14, Morning:
Reception and registration, pioneer exhibits and antiques each day at the
Village Hall, art exhibit. Afternoon:
TUESDAY, July 15, 10 a.m.: Big
Parade of progress; 2 p.m.: Water Carnival, yacht and other races; 7:30 p.m.:
Venetian Night parade; 9 p.m.: Fireworks. Fifty-seven floats were registered in
the parade.
May
Heath on the Heath Float
WEDNESDAY, July 16, Morning:
Motor trips; dedication of Jay D. Myers memorial and memorial to old Indian
burying ground; 1:30 p.m.: Speaking by prominent statesmen and a musical
program at Big Pavilion; 3:00 p.m.: Baseball between the local and House of
David teams.
-
The
Monuments Today--Myers, Left; Indian Burial, Right
Florence Brittain,
granddaughter of Jay D. Myers (for 21 years the captain of the chain ferry),
unveiled his memorial bench, and twelve-year-old Johnson Fox, a member of the
Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians, unveiled the memorial boulder. After
college,
Dr. Frank W. Greiner, who came
from Seattle, WA to attend the centennial, wrote: "There are many people who aspire to public leadership with the
thought of either honor, profit or position; but of self aggrandizement in some
form, Mrs. Heath works with no such thoughts; with her it is simply to bring
about the object sought, the good and pleasure of all. To the people of
Saugatuck I want to say you are peculiarly fortunate to have her as a citizen. Boost
her as she boosted this centennial. She deserves a big place in your
hearts."
Mark your calendar now. Honor
her, and what she did for the village she loved, by attending the Memorial
Dedication Ceremony on August 14, 2010, 1pm, in the
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For
more information about the 1930 Centennial, see the newspaper clipping section
of the May
Heath Memorial Project window at the SDHS web site. The Pathe
Newsreel people were scheduled to film the events, but they had equipment
problems in
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