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St Albans Morris Men |
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"We hold these truths to be
self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by
their Creator
with certain inalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
- Thomas Jefferson
(View
original manuscript)
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St Albans Morris Men was the first visiting morris club to dance in USA following the tragic events of 11th September 2001. Despite initial qualms, it went exceedingly well; no small thanks to the organising ability and generous hospitality of our hosts - Foggy Bottom Morris Men and Rock Creek Morris Women in Washington DC, and Shepherdstown Northwest Clog / Hicks with Sticks in West Virginia. A few days after September 11th, we took soundings as to whether our visit was still appropriate, and the advice was "Yeah! Go for it. America needs some joy and beauty at this time." SAMM willingly agreed to contribute to the "joy" bit. Beauty, as we all know, is in the eye of the beholder! |
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Most of us arrived in Shepherdstown on Wednesday 26th. September and were welcomed by our individual hosts prior to a delicious communal meal. Next day, we were treated to visits, sightseeing and canoeing in the beautiful West Virginia countryside. The morning started with a guided tour by Nick Blanton of his workshop, where hand-made hammered dulcimers come off the production line at a rate of about 15 - 20 a year. Photo: Bennett (Click image to enlarge.) |
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In the Rumseian Society's boathouse, Nick told us the history of James Rumsey - who invented the steamboat some 20 years before Robert Fulton is popularly credited with that. The Society maintains a half-scale working model which was constructed painstakingly from patents and other drawings for the bicentennial anniversary of the first public launching (3rd Dec 1787). Shepherdstown is rightly proud of Rumsey, who died in 1792 aged 50 whilst in England on a four-year fund-raising expedition. He was buried in St Margaret's Churchyard, next to Westminster Abbey. (NB findagrave.com gives the wrong location but the right photographs.) Photo: Combes |
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Jim Surkamp took us to the "Little House", constructed in 1928 under the direction of Florence Shaw, head of the teacher-training program at Shepherd College. An important part of the project was a little farm operated by the students. A plaque reads: "In order that children may have a laboratory in which they may learn to work together, faithfully laying the foundation for useful lives, we have built this little house as a unifying center of a miniature farm." Photo: Price |
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Meanwhile, another segment of the Pursuit of Happiness Tour was having a fine time on the Potomac River. Photos: Jones |
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After lunching at the Blue Moon cafe, the "history" party drove a few miles to the Antietam battlefield. Who will forget the erudite and heart-rending expositions by Jim Surkamp of the horrific loss of life on 17th September 1862, the Civil War's bloodiest day? Jim has detailed knowledge of the events, the personalities and the "fog of war". In this case, the fog was real - smoke from all that gunpowder. Photos: Price & Lyndon-Jones |
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But then it was on to the happier subject of morris dancing! The first show took place that day in late afternoon sunshine at Hilltop House Hotel in Harpers Ferry. This is a magnificent setting, high on a bluff overlooking the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, and with beautiful views of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
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St Albans, Shepherdstown NW, and Hicks with Sticks danced for a small, bemused, but admiring crowd. The dancing showed few signs of jet lag, and it was a very relaxed, comfortable start. Left: "Jockey to the Fair" by SAMM Right: High-kickin' Shepherdstown NW! Photos: Lyndon-Jones and Price |
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Left: Hicks with Sticks give it some "wellie" Right: The young Edward Bennett starts to earn his keep in "Brimfield" Photos: Combes and Price |
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In front of the original Shepherd College building, we put on a show in the gathering dusk. Here we see SAMM dancing a ghostly Postman's Knock, Adderbury, and Shepherdstown NW dancing ...? Well, I'm sure I'd have recognised it in daylight! Photos: Price |
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We then moved on to Ed's Taproom and Deli (which sadly closed in July 2003), that offered a selection of very palatable micro-brewed beers and an atmosphere almost like an English local pub. Eschewing the delicatessen side of the business, our evening meal was to be an excellent "Thanksgiving" dinner and party laid on by the Shepherdstown team. Thank you, Shepherdstown for a memorable stay and delightful hospitality.
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Friday. All packed and ready to move on. But first, time for another beer at Ed's, and there were a few more places to explore in Shepherdstown - including the quaint old "O'Hurley's General Store". Photos: Price |
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On Friday evening, Foggy Bottom Morris Men had arranged a ceilidh - in a real barn, and with real rain pouring down outside! Some poor navigators arrived later than others, but it was a nice way of meeting up again at the start of our weekend together. Photos: Combes |
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We had agreed with FBMM that the central date of the visit should be Saturday 29th September - which was Open Day at the National Cathedral in Washington. Why? Partly because it is collocated with St Alban's Church, who were keen to welcome a morris club which had been started by lay clerks of their "mother church" (St Albans Abbey) way back in 1930. Also, of course, because we could be sure of a good ready-made audience! In view of the religious connections, FBMM wittily coined the term "EpiscopAle" for the weekend's activities - though no church services were involved, to the relief of some! The advertising flyer on the left was the result of the highly skilled work of FBMM's Bill Brown. (Copyright 2001) |
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Saturday was the big one: three major shows in the centre of Washington. It was a beautiful autumn day. We Brits were relieved that the temperatures were not in the 90s, which had been the case there the year before. We processed to dance outside the South Door of the Cathedral - with all the skill, precision, and musical co-ordination which one finds in the Sunday morning procession at a typical Ring Meeting! Photos: National Cathedral - Lyndon-Jones; Winster Processional - Bennett |
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Top row:
photos by Combes of dancing by SAMM, Rock Creek and Shepherdstown. |
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After a superb picnic lunch in the Cathedral grounds, we set off in US school buses to the Capitol - SAMM being mainly on the "musical" bus. Photos by Bennett |
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For some, dancing at The Capitol was always the central goal of the Pursuit of Happiness Tour. We were delighted that we could do so despite events. Great photo by Mike Savage, too! We danced on the Terrace, with the Mall and the Washington Monument to the west. The space was vast and the audience thinly spread - highlighting just how few tourists there were in DC at that time - but enough people watching to make the event enjoyable. |
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This row: Foggy Bottom Morris Men and musicians in their energetic "Mason-Dixon Border Morris" guise! Photos: Lyndon-Jones Below, left to right: Harry the Hart views a child inquisitively. Shepherdstown NW. Rock Creek (with Jinny Mason of Wake Robin). St Albans Morris Men. Photos: Combes |
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"March Past" was a dance that all could join in with, in our different styles, under Mike Bennett's calling. As the photo on the left shows, if Mike were to try to rouse us to excesses of patriotism with Shakespearian quotations, Brian Bending might well use his inside knowledge of Harry the Hart to prick the bubble. Photos: Mike Savage - though not the speech bubbles! |
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By this time, we'd earned a beer. So it was off to the "Hawk and Dove" for relaxation, and singing led by FBMM from their fine repertoire. Can you spot Alan McArdle of Juggler Meadow? Photos: Left - Bennett; Right - Savage. |
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The third USA president, Thomas Jefferson, is commemorated by a huge bronze statue in a classical rotunda with the Declaration of Independence on its walls. Photos: left - Combes; right - Glover. We danced on the terrace between the bottom of the rotunda's steps and the large body of water known as the Tidal Basin. The left hand photo below shows a massed Ducklington Jig by Rock Creek Morris Women and Mike Bennett of SAMM. The centre two photos show one of the several wedding parties which shared the spot with us for their photo sessions - and the delight of the bride at the results of her accepting our polite invitation to join in a dance with us! The fourth photo is the morris dancer's traditional farewell - "Bonny Green Garters". Photos below: left - Combes; others - Bennett |
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A final commemorative group photo of the day, on the steps of the memorial (many people have their own versions - this one is by Christine Bennett) ...
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... then it was back to St Alban's Church Hall for a tasty Mexican feast. Some singing, dancing and skits, and a mystical appearance by Graham Lyndon-Jones playing the pipes, before it was time to say farewell to the Shepherdstown folk.
On Sunday 30th September, Foggy Bottom Morris Men, Rock Creek Morris Women and St Albans Morris Men went to Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland, where we were joined by Albemarle Morris Men from Charlottesville, Virginia for an afternoon's dancing. The greyness of the day was more than compensated for by the cheeriness of the company and the quality of the dancing. It was our first sight of Albemarle, and mightily impressive they were. Rock Creek's dancing was spirited and precise - as evidenced by our Foreman's keenness to dance with them! SAMM & FBMM also put on some fine displays.
Photos: Albermarle - Price & Lyndon-Jones; Rock Creek - Price & Combes
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We did two shows, with a beer/food break in Bertha's Bar - an atmospheric venue with 200 musical instruments fixed to the ceiling, and antique toilets! FBMM treated us to a rendition of "Eat Bertha's Muscles", and we joined in the chorus of this and many of their rousing shanties. RCMW also showed their singing strengths again. Photos: This row - Combes; |
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The weekend finished with dinner at the BBC, the Baltimore Brewing Company. Here a room had been reserved for the "Foggy Bottom Horsemen": it seems that the phone line might not have been too clear when the booking was made!!
Good food, good beer, two very short speeches, some more dancing by Albermarle - to make their 300 mile round-trip for an afternoon's dancing worthwhile! - lots of bonhomie and good fellowship. Breaking up was VERY hard to do! Thanks and congratulations to Foggy Bottom and Rock Creek for an excellent EpiscopAle.
As we dispersed, SAMM representatives concluded the official tour by delivering to the representative of the Mayor of Washington a "Card of Condolence to the City of Washington" from St Albans City Council.
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Several of us extended our USA stay - mostly for non-morris activities. However, Graham Lyndon-Jones visited the Library of Congress in order to measure and photograph seven tabor-pipes. On the right is the pipe and tabor used by Longborough Morris in the 19th century. Unlike the Fieldtown pipes in the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford, with similar repairs and much binding of string, this one definitely does not work! Photos: Lyndon-Jones |
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That's all, folks! |
| Return to SAMM Home Page | Go to index of pictures |
| Updated 26th June 2008. |
 Webslave
Mike
Bennett
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