Not even a steady, shoe-soaking rain Saturday, May 2 could stop 8-year-old Christian from casting a line into the pond at Lu Mil Vineyard in an effort to catch his second fish.
Nearby, about a dozen food trucks at the 6th annual May Day Jamboree were serving everything from full meals to ice cream, doughnuts and coffee. Hungry enough for a huge turkey leg? It was there for the chomping.
The U Got Game mobile virtual reality theme park had riders donning VR headsets as motion tracking systems sent them into virtual worlds.
For those preferring to avoid the mud puddles, Creekside, the large indoor venue, was jamming with music provided by Rivermist, The Backline Band and Loose Floorboards. Some folks danced while others swayed to the beat.
An estimated 500 to 600 people attended the six-hour Jamboree, said Lu Mil’s Denise Bridgers. The event is held on the first Saturday in May.
“I think it was a great day,” Bridgers said. “We needed the rain terribly, so it was hard to be upset. Even though it was raining, I feel like the people that attended had a good time and enjoyed it. The three bands that performed were all great.”
It was the first time since the May Day Jamboree debuted on May 1, 2021 following the COVID pandemic that inclement weather sent the bands inside.
Lu Mil Vineyard sought to have a spring festival to go along with its established N.C. Grape Festival, which will be held for the 20th time in October. Bridgers recalls checking the calendar and realizing the vineyard didn’t have an event scheduled on the first Saturday in May 2021.
“I said ‘hey, that’s May Day,’” said Bridgers, about the traditional celebration of welcoming spring on May 1.
Vineyard owner Ron Taylor saw on Facebook that local musician Daryl Davis, who performs with Loose Floorboards, had a spring jam session in his backyard each May. “They would play different instruments, sing and have a nice time enjoying spring,” Bridgers said.
With plans coming together, the inaugural event needed a name. May Day was obvious.
“We were trying to come up with something that would encourage people to attend,” Bridgers said. “We were selling jams and jellies and someone said to call it May Day Jam.”
Bridgers wanted it to be a festival like the N.C. Grape Festival, where there was more to it than just grapes.
“It was to be a fun thing for people to have a good time,” she said, “so, that’s where May Day Jamboree came from.”
The 2027 Jamboree will be a true May Day celebration. It is scheduled for May 1.