We have maypoles too, although there's not any specific dancing. Putting it up is a festival in our area, usually the actual putting it up is performed by the local Zimmerer or housebuilding carpenter with an appreciative audience. The pole and the event in our village is organised by the local chamber of commerce and the poles have badges on them representing the businesses in the village.
In Bavaria the maypoles would be up for much of the year and on the night of May 1st the young farmers would tank up and go off to try and hijack the maypole in the next village; literally cut it down and drag it off with a tractor, or put a tree on the top.
Having your maypole nicked or "treed" was a source of great shame for the village and would result in revenge attacks the next year. In the village we lived in the Maypole was on the land of the local butcher, who was a big lad. He would sit at the bottom of the Maypole with two very big Rottweilers. Our Maypole was never stolen.
Apart from this, anything not nailed down would be redistributed in nearby gardens; gates were a particular favourite, followed by shutters.