New England 2006

 In 2006 we received an invite from an old friend Rhett Krause, formerly of Oxford City and Kirtlington Morris Men, to dance at the Marlboro Morris Ale, the premier morris festival on the United States, held at Marlboro College, near Brattleboro, Vermont.

We travelled via Iceland and flew past Greenland on 25 May, landing at Boston and picking up three MPVs for transport during the tour. We drove to Rhett's house in NE Massachusetts, and the next day some took a walk to Mount Holyoke then chilled out with a few beers at Rhett's before travelling up to the Marlboro Morris Ale site.

Our first dance was Feathers, during the morning procession on the Saturday, 27 May. There are photos on the web taken by Sarah Strong of Juggler Meadow morris; and a video from Tony Barrand's Digital Video Research Archive at Boston University. In a closely fought game we also wrested the Aunt Sally World Championship from Marlboro Morris Men. In the afternoon there were tours of nearby Brattleboro with Marlboro Morris and B.F. Harridans. We finished the day with a big display of all the teams in Brattleboro. We danced Shambles followed by Jockey; there is a video from Tony Barrand's Digital Video Research Archive at Boston University. thee was an excellent feast that night.

The next day we danced with Orion Sword and Marlboro Morris and Sword at Putney Town Hall, ending with a massed display at Newfane Common. We danced Maid of the Mill; you can now see a complete video of the dance, again courtesy of Tony Barrand's Digital Video Research Archive at Boston University.

The next day we moved on to New York, hosted very kindly by three morris families, and after a day's sightseeing, a performance with all of New York's morris and sword teams at Brooklyn Heights, overlooking Manhattan. There are videos and photos available from Jeffrey Bary here.

The following day we visited the Hill-Stead Museum at Farmington Connecticut, to see a painting by William Nicholson of the team dancing at Blenheim Palace around 1906, and to dance there. From there we drove on to Boston, where some of us were lucky enough to stay in an 18th-century farmhouse, home of the concertina player Tom Kruskal (and the others were also put up by several hospitable Pinewoods men). After a day's sightseeing (icnluding whale watching for some) we danced in Copley Square with Muddy River and the Pinewoods Men. And so home to Eynsham.


The Mystery Dance at Putney Town Hall
 
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