By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

While Punxsutawney Phil forecasted six more weeks of winter, the Kennebunk Downtown Committee is already looking toward spring and planning May Day festivities.

The 11^th annual May Day festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 2 and organizers are hoping increased participation by artist, crafters and community organizations will make this year’s celebration “bigger and better” than years before. 

With the Little League of the Kennebunks participating in the May Day Parade, there will be 550 young baseball players marching the route and the family and friends they draw will add to the crowd alone, Downtown Committee member Charlie Galloway said. 

Downtown Committee alternate member Linda Johnson anticipates the added draw with the little leaguers and added activities throughout downtown, “this year will be bigger.”

“We want to reach out to the community and encourage people to come out on May Day,” Galloway said. 

“The downtown committee also encourages local groups that plan spring events to consider holding them on May Day to make a bigger overall community impact and benefit from joint promotion, as well as more involvement of local artists, crafters, community organizations, and antique enthusiasts,” organizer Teri Collard said. 

Galloway and Johnson said the downtown committee is also interested in volunteers to help plan the day’s festivities as well as set up on May Day. With usually the same group of people organizing May Day, Johnson said some new ideas would be helpful, especially as the committee is planning events throughout the afternoon and evening.

 “Eleven years ago, it started as a downtown event to get everybody out to celebrate and it’s grown from there,” Johnson said. 

“First and foremost it’s a family event,” Galloway said. 

Plans for May Day include musical acts, a ventriloquist, food vendors, face painting, professional dancers around the May Pole, a fairy garden at the Kennebunk Free Library and basket making at the Brick Store Museum, Johnson said. The activities will extend the length of Main Street and provide for a fun day, she said. 

This year will also mark the second flea market and craft fair in Rotary Park, and Galloway is encouraging artists to purchase a table to show and sell their wares. 

 “After a long winter it’s a fun day,” Johnson said. “It’s so exciting this year with a few twists to change it around a little. It’s bigger and better than ever.”

If you’re interested in helping plan May Day or volunteering the day of the festivities, you can contact Galloway at 985-1517 or Johnson at 985-7935.