The standard answer to the question, "What do you do?" is as follows: Nothing!!
At least..."Nothing that's work!"
We feel like we have all been so dutiful and so busy for so long that we deserve a break.
The Red Hat Society was founded as a haven for silliness and unfettered happiness among women of a certain age. That is all.

We only have one rule; however, we do suggest a few guidelines for our members:

Rule I. Wear Your Colors! The first and foremost rule, is to ALWAYS wear your colors, including a red hat!

A true Red Hatter, wears a red hat and a clashing purple ensemble at all events to keep up the spirit and purpose of the (dis)organization for those of us that are age 50 or older .

We also suggest rather strongly that women under 50, “Ladies in Waiting” stick to the pink hat and lavender attire until "THE BIRTHDAY". This adds an element of fun to aging, which we think is invaluable to women in our society who have learned to dread aging and avoid it at all costs.

We believe that aging should be something anticipated with excitement, not something to dread.

We know that you can't always find true "purple" or "lavender", different shades are acceptable, so are different colored pants or skirts, or purple or lavender prints or stripes.

The “Aging” poem says “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat….etc”
It does NOT say “I shall wear ALL purple.”

Attending an event WITHOUT a hat or headpiece is NOT nice.
You will feel uncomfortable and feel like you don’t fit in – believe me!

Exception to the Rule:

Reverse colors in your birthday month.

Every women is special and during our birthday You have the option of wearing our colors or reversing them: purple hat and red outfit for those of us over 50, or lavender hat and pink outfit for those ladies under 50. The choice is up to you!

Re: RSVP Dates

RSVP means PLEASE REPLY......not "reply if you're going...but reply....regardless!
We appreciate knowing that you received the invitation even if you cannot attend

When you receive information about an upcoming event with an RSVP date, please follow these three (3) easy steps:

1. Check your calendar and write down the date of the event right away. (Otherwise you WILL forget and will need to ask someone)

2. Reply to the invitation whether you can attend or if you cannot attend. We like to know that you had a chance to choose.

3. If the event is a pre-pay, mail your checks well in advance of the RSVP date. We need to cash them and deposit the money in order to write OUR check for the event.

Remember we're grown ladies and the hostess of the event shouldn't have to keep prodding to get an RSVP.

If you miss the deadline and don’t get to attend, you will be busy kicking your own butt! (smile)

Not happy in our chapter?
Not having enough fun?
Want to start a chapter of your own?

Every chapter has it’s own personality, interests, and preferences.
Red Bonnets & Bifocals is a “daytime” chapter. We have many older, retired members who do NOT wish to travel at night, therefore many of our activities are during the day.

If you find that this is not working for you, we would be happy to help you start another chapter. Several chapters have spun off from Red Bonnets & Bifocals already and each has it's unique way to have fun in it’s own way.

Please contact your queen and we can meet for coffee and discuss a plan of action. It’s fun to have multi-chapter events and we will still have opportunities to have fun together!

The more red hat chapters in Butler - the better! Red Hatting is about having fun and enjoying yourself. Sometimes another, or a new chapter is the answer.

Red Hat Society Theme Song

Well, I heard that they were coming;
I heard that they were on the move
I heard that they were stunning
with nothing left to prove
and when I asked about them
and how they came to be
They all laughed and they all smiled
and said these words to me!

CHORUS:

Red Hat, Red Hat, Red Hat Society
All my life I’ve done for you,
now it’s my turn to do for me
I’m just as proud as I can be
With my purple dress and my red, red hat
The Red Hat Society!

Sue Ellen’s little whimsy suddenly caught fire
Now the purple dress and the red,
red hat are a national attire
You’ll see them in the work place
you’ll find them in the mall
But you better believe all around the world,
they have heard the call!

REPEAT CHORUS

Now the way I understand it,
they don’t want to change the world
they just like gettin’ together,
they just like being girls
they just like havin’ fun
With a purple dress and a red,
red hat for each and every one

REPEAT CHORUS

SPOKEN: Yes the Red Hats are a comin’
and they cannot be ignored
And there’s a bond between them
That wasn’t there before

I’ve seen them come together
With a smile on every face
I’ve heard the sound of laughter
Fillin’ up the place
They’ve found an understanding
They’ve found a brighter day
And wouldn’t the world be a better place
If we all felt that way?

Sue Ellen is an artist,
Marsha teaches school
There’s doctors and there’s lawyers,
and all of them are cool
But whatever the occupation,
or wherever they may be
They’ve got one thing in common,
as you can plainly see!