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 | THE RED HAT SOCIETY PLEDGE |
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Our Start The "Red N Purple Roses began on Oct 28, 2003 We just celebrated our third year, and we are looking forward to all the fun and feathers. Our group is still excepting new members so come on board with us. |
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Queen Mum:
Charlene W.
Lady:
Audrey H.
Members:
Sandy Caruthers
Princess:
Karen Burton
RED HAT SOCIETY FANCY SIGNATURES DELIGHTFULLY ZANY LADIES
News On Red Hatters
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Red hat is now badge of honor for midlife fun By Joy Donovan Special to the Star-Telegram GRAPEVINE - Think of the worst get-up the eccentric lady down the street wore on her wildest day. Now multiply it by 10. In all its glory, The Red Hat Society has invaded Grapevine for its third annual convention. Red hats worn with majestic purple are their badges of honor for making it past the 50-year mark. Members of this group, which insists on being called a dis-organization, will be expressing themselves through Sunday morning at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. No rules for the club -- really. Just the semi-uniform. Under the guidelines of purple clothes/red hats, the more than 2,400 express themselves. The parade of clothing and accessories at Thursday evening's welcoming reception certainly was an exercise in creativity. Red shoes and red hats were tame. Red feather boas, a dime a dozen. Purple gloves, commonplace. Purple-sequined glasses, now that makes a statement. Purple hair with a semi-hat consisting of red devil horns might get a double take. A red motorized wheelchair, now that's something. Middle age, Red Hatters say, is a time to celebrate, not grieve. Not bound to do good deeds or to raise money for the PTA, these women's purpose is to have fun with a giggle, whether it's a wine-tasting trip by bus or a holiday cookie swap with only store-bought cookies. "I didn't get to belong to a sorority in college because I was poor," said Melissa St. Pierre of the Royal Florals Chapter based in Flower Mound and Lewisville. "This is my wild and crazy old age." Martini drinking in the hotel lobby was just one more bonding experience for the Keystone Royal Red Hats of Beaver County, Penn. Calling each other names ranging from shopworthy Duches du Mall to the very bossy Grand Duchess of Directness, the Pennsylvania women sported matching red-and-purple "cocksweep" feather hats and crowed with laughter. The Exalted Queen Mother, Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, Calif., is the revered creator of the group. Four years ago, she was directed by the poem containing the phrase, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me." Amazingly low-key in the sea of outrageous dress, the exalted Cooper can explain and has even analyzed how her idea has exploded into an international network of 20,000 chapters, mostly of women happily over 50, and spurred associated licensing agreements for ornaments, books, greeting cards and balloons. "Women don't feel like they're 'done,' " she said, wearing a relatively conservative outfit of purple slacks, red bandanna and red cowboy hat with purple plume. Most of the women have taken care of or are taking care of others. "This is recess. This is playtime," she said.
Denton County News Column: Women as sassy as their attire Red Hatters from all over united in purpose - to have a good time 05:31 PM CDT on Saturday, April 17, 2004 By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News Frankly, I feel duped. My whole life I have assumed that women older than 50 did little more than talk about their grandkids and watch As the World Turns. Then I met the Red Hatters. Now, I've been to some pretty kickin' parties in my 25 years. Wild, all-night, why-is-there-a-Ford-truck-in-the-living-room type of bashes. But nothing could have prepared me for Thursday's middle-age matriarch merrymaking at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine. That's where the Red Hat Society had a kickoff party for its annual national convention. More than 3,000 women in bold red hats and vibrant purple outfits packed a Texas-size ballroom to celebrate their simple mission of having fun. "That's the only premise – just have a good time," said Marilou Chincarini of the Diamond Lils chapter in Manteca, Calif. Though there were thousands, no two hats were alike. Some had feathers, and others lit up. Some were floppy, and some were tall. They had fruits and boas, flags and stars. They came in classic shapes and wacky forms. Ms. Chincarini looked like a bright red version of Miss Chiquita. Strawberries and grapes dangled from her hat, which even had room for champagne glasses. Her oversized spectacles were shaped like martinis. "I've been outdone as usual," Sue Ellen Cooper said as she excitedly surveyed the bustling crowd decked in scarlet and violet. In 1997, Ms. Cooper gave her friend Linda Murphy a red fedora and a copy of the poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph. The poem, about a woman who promises to be carelessly eccentric and fashionably outrageous, became a doctrine. The Red Hat Society was officially formed when the women and a few friends started wearing the now-traditional garb to public gatherings. The group, based in Fullerton, Calif., registers more than 300 new chapters a week. "I certainly didn't know what a great idea it was," Ms. Cooper said, sitting on the floor of a back room at the convention center. She's about as humble as they come, even though hanging out with her is like following Elizabeth Taylor at a movie premiere. As the group's founder, she holds the title of exalted queen mother. One person recognizes her, and soon there's a crowd of thankful women shaking her hand, hugging her and whipping out cameras to snag a photo. "It's not about me; it's about all of us," she said. Her book, The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship After Fifty, is rising on The New York Times best-seller list. The Red Hatters don't have any bylaws. They don't rescue orphans from Third World countries. They don't organize art auctions to raise money. They just get together and chill. Sandi Narramore of Plano is the queen mother – that's Red Hat lingo for president – of the Dallas Darling Dahlia chapter, the first one in North Texas. With her wine glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other, she gave me a crash course in Red Hat spirit. The get-togethers her group organizes aren't called meetings. They're affairs. "I won't go to any more meetings," she said sternly before her voice quickly went sultry. "But I'll have an affair any day of the week." This affair was bustling with women ready to party. When the food ran out, the mumbling began. That soon yielded to all-out complaining. (Note to catering crews everywhere: Don't make fun-seeking women wearing crazy outfits wait for their hors d'oeuvres.) When the women's restroom didn't provide enough accommodations, the men's room was quickly taken over. After they finished up, a trio of gals scurried out, giggling and holding hands. A roll call of attendants by state led to serious whooping and hollering – not the ladylike behavior women "that age" are supposed to exhibit. But who cared? And just to make sure there will always be women to follow in their footsteps, the Red Hatters' under-50 friends are encouraged to join, too. They wear pink and lavender and are affectionately called Pink Hatters. They even let Pink Hatter Kitty Lenker serve as queen mother of the Country Roses chapter in Richlands, N.C. "They love me as a Pink Hat because I am so much fun," she said with pride. After a couple of hours and hundreds of winks, I left the ladies' party with one undeniable conclusion. Inside every woman – even the cookie-baking, Cadillac-driving, soap-opera-watching kind – there's a fun-loving party gal dying to get out. Don't believe me? Just give one a red hat and see what happens.
