Although it was meant to be a secret, Sally Van Dyke wasn’t particularly surprised when the Brenham High School Band arrived in her yard in February 1954 to announce that she had been selected as junior queen of that year’s Brenham Maifest. After all, why else would she have been whisked away under cover of darkness several weeks before to visit the home of a local seamstress? “The lady that was going to make my dress and my train had to get started,” Sally explains. After being announced as junior queen, she recalls riding to the home of the senior queen, who was surprised. “She was in the band, and she had on her band uniform. She changed her clothes and put on a cute little party dress.”

Sally has many other Maifest memories. A lifelong resident of Brenham, her family has lived in the town for generations (One ancestor fought in the Battle of San Jacinto and then moved his family to Brenham.). “My dad was the first junior king, and my mother was a senior queen, and both of my children (son and daughter) were king and queen at some time, and all four of my Brenham grandchildren,” Sally says. “We have a lot of stories.” Throughout the decades, Maifest has provided the Van Dyke family with a constant reminder of the goodness of small-town life.

Celebrating youth

For centuries, Germans celebrated spring during the month of May, often by building maypoles, which townspeople danced around, and by holding festivals. When German immigrants settled in Brenham in the 1800s, they brought the ancient tradition of Maifest (pronounced “Mayfest”) with them. Brenham’s Maifest traces its heritage back to 1874, when townspeople begin holding an annual Volksfest (folk festival). In 1881, the festival officially became Maifest. Except for a few years during the two world wars, Maifest has been held every year since 1881. Over the decades, countless Brenham residents—as well as out-of-town visitors—have enjoyed the festival’s small-town charm, warm hospitality, and German flavor. Brenham’s Maifest is often recognized as being the oldest festival in Texas.

It all begins each January, when the year’s royalty is announced. The junior king and queen are elementary school age, while the senior king and queen are typically seniors in high school, Sally says. The kings and queens then climb aboard a Brenham Fire Department truck for a cruise around town, and the year’s Maifest tradition comes to life once again, promising to provide memories for the younger generation of Brenham residents.

Catherine Kenjura remembers her very first Maifest when she was just three years old. “I was what is called a train bearer for the queen,” she says. “I remember being in the parade and waving at people.” She also remembers “moms gushing over us and getting us ready.” She participated at Maifest “from three to 18 and every year in between,” she says. Today, Catherine is the president of the Brenham Maifest Association. She invites Brenham residents, as well as out-of-town visitors, to this unique festival. “It’s a celebration of youth,” she says. “It’s really about kids and watching the community come together and use their talents to put this on,” as Brenham residents become costume designers, script writers, choreographers, float builders and more.

This year’s Maifest will be held Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, with an early start on Thursday, May 5 for a carnival. “Parents like it, because it’s not enormous. It feels really safe,” Catherine says. The theme for junior participants this year is “Lights, Camera, Action! Maifest 2022”; the theme for senior participants is “And the Award Goes to. . . Maifest 2022.” The themes will influence the festival’s entertainment and parade floats, as well as participants’ costumes. “There will be lots of movie characters,” she says.

Catherine suggests attending the downtown parade on Saturday morning at 10:30, then heading to Fireman’s Park, where, according to Sally, Maifest has been held “forever and ever and ever.” There, Catherine says, visitors can eat lunch and sample some “German soda water.” (The Texas chapter of the Zythological Society of North America will provide beer tasting.) Vendors will sell food, including authentic German cuisine, as well as crafts and other wares. The festival will feature German demonstrations, contests and live German music, and visitors might even get to hear the music of Alphorns and accordions. 

According to Maifest’s website, “Lederhosen is optional; polkas and waltzes are mandatory!”

In addition, the Kinder Village will feature games and rides for children, including an antique carousel that is more than 100 years old. And of course, there is the Maipole, based on a Bavarian design that dates back to 1762. A traditional dance around the Maipole kicks off each year’s festivities.  

During the day on Friday, and again on Saturday, local residents will pool their talents and efforts to set the stage for each evening’s coronation. (The junior coronation is on Friday night; the senior coronation is on Saturday night.) Groups of children of all ages will perform song and dance routines they have been dutifully rehearsing. As the evenings progress, cover bands will provide music for dancing. On Friday night, Royal Dukes Band will play its blend of high-energy rock, pop and country. On Saturday night, The Common Ground Band will play its self-described “southern rock country blues.”

Family and fun

Held on the first weekend of May, Maifest typically coincides with Mother’s Day weekend, and is a good opportunity for those who have moved away to return to their roots. Although Sally says Maifest participation has “ebbed and flowed” over the years, the tradition continues. “It is always fun,” she says. Past kings and queens are encouraged to attend and are recognized when they return to Maifest. One year, she says, dresses of former senior queens were modeled by girls who participated in Maifest that year.  

Sally has seen Maifest evolve over the years. For example, in the past, talented local seamstresses made costumes for children in keeping with the year’s themes, but today, many costumes are ordered online. In addition, Serenade (the announcement of the year’s kings and queens) is now held at a local park’s amphitheater instead of the front yards of the newly-recognized royalty. However, many traditions remain at this annual event.

Sally appreciates the emphasis that is placed on the young people of the community. She remembers years when there were hundreds of participants, yet “every child walked down the walkway; every child was introduced by name and took a bow,” she says. “To me, that is one of the special things about Maifest during the years. How many people in the U.S. get to ride a float and go through town and wave? How many get to walk in a coronation and get individually introduced?”

For more information about Brenham Maifest, visit brenhammaifest.com.