May Day 2024

It was a cold and rainy day in Downtown Annapolis on the morning of May 1, 2020. It was just after sunrise, and the bleak clouds mirrored the mood of the time. My husband Sam and my friend Clare gathered at 26 Market Space by the waterfront because I had an “Idea!” (I get lots of those, and they usually involve a lot of moving pieces.)

The traditional May Day competition hosted by the Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne was suspended, but for over 60 years, Annapolis residents and businesses have been hanging fresh-cut flower baskets with trailing ribbons outside their doors on the first of May and COVID was not going to steal the beauty of our annual tradition.

I wanted to do something big. Something people would come downtown to see, and while they were there, they would grab a drink or a to-go order from the restaurant whose flower bouquet I would craft. So, I bought a ton of fresh flowers from my wholesaler and donated several eye-catching designs for a few locations, but the showstopper was to be a full-sized whiskey barrel bursting with a few hundred stems of flowers.

So here I am, bleary-eyed, staring at a large block of floral foam sticking out of a barrel surrounded by buckets of product. Looking into the void of possibility, my mind is assembling the floral piece over and over again. I’m nervous. My first basket was in 2008, and I’ve been a designer for almost 20 years, but I’m still nervous. This is my love letter to Annapolis, and I wanted it to be gorgeous. When it was finished, Clare and I sobbed. It was everything I imagined. In those scary bleak times – there was still beauty.

May Day (which is May 1, I thought everyone knew that, but the handful of messages I get every year would suggest otherwise), anyways, May Day truly is my favorite and most exhausting day of the year. For the 69th Annual May Day celebration in the Annapolis historic district, I’m planning for about 12 displays and two installations. The Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne judges begin their rounds at 10 am, we have to have things in place before then. (side note – don’t confuse the Garden Club of Annapolis with the Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne; they are not the same).

12 arrangements may not sound like a lot, but they are each carefully designed. I develop a concept specific to the vibe of each business, and I push myself creatively to make each one different from the next. However, this is where the imaginative half of my brain has to negotiate with the pragmatic side. I want the best and most fantastic flowers, but there are budget restraints, and the issue of floral hardiness. There are some shady streets in Annapolis where the blossoms are shielded from the sun, and then there is West Street where fragile flowers would wilt before lunch. Wind and rain are also factors to be considered. Sometimes my designs are suspended upside down, or from a non-traditional container, so my mechanics have to be solid, so the piece doesn’t fall apart in the elements.

It is a lot of work, but it also brings a lot of personal reward. I love watching people enjoy my work, and I’m a huge fan of the other displays. Every year my mom and I walk around the city and gush over the creations. The Barrel of Blooms is back for its 5^th year and will be at Luna Blue on West Street, and Annapolis Moms Media together with Parley Room have commissioned an interactive photo-worthy display on State Circle. PLUS, join me with the rest of your Annapolis Moms’ friends for a special Happy Hour at the patio outside Parley Room and the Capitol Hotel on May Day. Take your photo at the Annapolis Moms Media installation, then enjoy a specialty cocktail. I’ll be there to answer any of your questions.

Annapolis Moms May Day art installation in partnership with Studio H and Parley Room will be at the Parley Room on State Circle. Parley Room will be generously donating 10% of proceeds during their May Day event to Friends of Annapolis Moms to help moms in times of crisis.

Cheers,

Melissa Huston

Melissa is the owner of Studio H Floral Design and Vice President of Annapolis Tours and Crawls.