Madison's May Day Tradition Puts Residents to Work

Madison always looks a little brighter after the first Saturday in May.

That's when hundreds of volunteers weed, mulch and clean up litter at approximately 40 locations as part of an annual community beautification effort known as May Day.

The 16th annual event, sponsored by the Downtown Development Commission, is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, rain or shine.

Around 800 volunteers have been taking part in recent years' May Days, including Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, seniors, school groups, neighborhoods, friends, families and individuals, said Leslie Lajewski, who is vice chairperson for the event with Sue Whitehorn.

Volunteers work to spruce up the landscaping at schools, parks, borough hall, the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Madison Civic Center, municipal parking lots, along Main Street, around the Madison Train Station, and other places.

Those interested in participating can call May Day chairperson Mara Johnson at 973-822-3900 to be assigned to a location or team. Residents also can walk up to a registration booth near Hartley Dodge Memorial the morning of the event. The clean-up takes place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants are advised to bring their own gardening tools, including shovels, metal rakes and wheelbarrows, though there will be equipment available.

"It's a great way to be involved," Lajewski said.

For this year's May Day, mulch will come from trees that fell during Superstorm Sandy and were ground up for that purpose by the Department of Public Works. It also coincides with the opening of The Madison Sidewalk Gallery, a new public art gallery on Waverly Place.

"It's one of those things about Madison that makes you know it's a true community and everybody loves the town," Lajewski said of May Day. "What you put into the town is what you get from it."

Lajewski got involved with organizing the event through her husband, Dr. Wayne Lajewski of Madison Medical and Sports Rehabilitation, who is a May Day sponsor. Whitehorn got involved after Mara Johnson, the May Day chairperson, asked her to help.

A recent addition to the May Day tradition is an after-party at the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The event will feature a pig roast, pizza and subs, and a $20 beer garden fundraiser run by Main Street Wine Cellars. Fundraiser proceeds are split between the ambulance corps and the Madison Main Street Foundation.