^{The Toronto Morris Men perform a traditional English stick dance in Gilbertsville on April 22. (Photo by Teresa Winchester)}

Morris Dancers Usher in Springtime
Across Otsego County

By TERESA WINCHESTER
GILBERTSVILLE

Each April, Gilbertsville’s Major’s Inn fulfills its original purpose of lodging travelers by opening its doors and welcoming the Morris dancers, a group of some 40 men and, more recently, a few women.

This year marked their 45th appearance in the village. Hailing from Binghamton, Boston, New York City, and Toronto, the itinerant dancers—who, for the most part, hold “day jobs” of various sorts, perform folk dances from 15th-century England, known as Morris dances. The dancers range in age from 13 to 80.