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• 1 2026-03-26T20:16:48+00:00 Tree Day and May Day 15 Bicentennial celebration - details about Tree Day and May Day plain 2026-03-31T11:41:16+00:00 Beginning in 1894, the College for Women sophomore class planted a tree on campus in April. But the real excitement would come a month later with the celebration of Tree Day, when the sophomores would return to perform a play and sing a song penned in honor of the tree. The performance often used characters from classic literature to represent various aspects of college life. For instance, the 1900 play was a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, with Alice standing in for the class of 1902 and the white rabbit representing “Upper Class Dignity.”
  
  
  After the play, the sophomore class marched to their planted tree singing their song. The lyrics to the first song, simply titled ’96 Tree Song and written by sophomore Mary Fairfield Coit, are as follows:
  
  “We are out in the sunny, spring weather,
      To plant us a maple tree;
  May rain and sun muse it together,
      That it tall and strong may be;
  May it spread out its leafy branches.
      And strengthen its trunk so broad,
  While vigor its beauty enhances,
      And it stretches up to God.
  
  We will one day go forth from the college,
      And into the world so wide,
  We may cease to be seeking for knowledge,
      And long for that past spring-tide,
  When we gathered together with pleasure.
      To establish a Tree Day here,
  And happily sing a measure,
      In praise of our college dear.
  
  And though others may fill our places,
      And from here we be far away.
  Though strange and new be the faces,
      Though they care not for our Tree Day,
  Yet we’ll hail to our Alma Mater,
      And we’ll hail to our maple tree,
  And we pray they may flourish together,
      And growing and prosperous be.”
  
  After the singing of the song, the sophomore class president would make a short speech before handing a golden spade to the freshman class president.
  
  The first tree was a white maple. A range of species were planted in the following years. In 1911, a number of the trees (as well as the location of the stage the plays were performed upon) were “scarified” to make way for the construction of the Mather Memorial Building.
  
  In 1937, Tree Day was replaced by a “Country Fair” at Squire Valleevue Farm. Instead of a tree, a hedge was planted at the Farm. There was also an archery contest and demonstration, the crowning of the May queen, and dancing around the maypole. The event was advertised as “Mather’s First May Day” even though various May Day celebrations were held from 1911-1925. These previous May Day celebrations were separate from Tree Day, but also often centered around the performance of a play, as many College for Women traditions did. In 1938, the County Fair name was dropped and the event simply became “May Day.” The event was held at both the Farm and on campus in subsequent years, until at least 1969.
  
  Sources
  For more information about campus events and traditions, see the CWRU Archives Sources page.