Scarlet O'Hatters is a chapter of the Red Hat Society with ladies from all over the DFW area. We are of all ages, all walks of life, full of fun and enjoy being together. We maintain two very important rules - you must wear the right color on your head at all gatherings and you can not complain, talk about your aches and pains or how sorry your spouse, kids or anything else that you can't stand to be around. Whew... that should say it all - smile.

Being in the Red Hat Society you must wear the right colors especially on your head - if you are over 50 you wear red and purple and under 50 you wear pink and lavender.

 Our chapter started in February 2006 with lots of excitement and ideas. We started out with a blast and have been on some exciting adventures. We truly look forward to the next Gathering and seeing one another.

Year 2006

In February, we met at a home for our very first gathering and had some wonderful red and purple food. There were red and purple sandwiches, chips, drinks, cookies and all sorts of other items - all which consist of red and purple. We got to know one another and spoke on what the Red Hat Society was all about in detail. We talked about what we wanted to see and do. All of us just wore our hats that first meeting. We did more laughing than anything else and all went home with such joy. We all came to the conclusion "You know you are old when you wear thongs on your feet.”

In March, we attended a musical at the Grapevine Opry and what respect we received upon arrival. We were all treated with royalty and had a blast taking pictures with the singers, statues and outside the building. Some of us were getting bold and wore a purple or red blouse to match our hats and scarves.

In April, we were off to Grand Prairie and met at three of our ladies clubhouse. They had it decorated in all kinds of Easter items and the food was outstanding. We played a couple of games, ate till we were stuffed, laughed till our stomachs hurt and made our Queen Mother very special. On this third gathering we were really getting bold and started to wear brighter colors of red and purple and some had fancy shoes to match.

In May, we carpooled to Granbury to see the 50's Live show called Glory and Grace. Oh my, the show was so well done. Not only were we recognized as a group, but were made to feel like queens for the day. We shopped till we dropped, we ate and talked ourselves silly and then sat back to watch the show. We met other Red Hat groups and one from Irving, which was exciting. On this day, several of us were really bold and decked out in our regalia. We had one lady who sewed her complete outfit the night before and was as cute as a red and purple button.

In June, we had to cancel the gathering due to so many out of town and other events going on. We sure missed seeing each other and looked forward to the July gathering.

In July, we gathered at the Antique Mall Tea Room in Arlington, Texas and went back in time. We each reminisced over antiques that reminded us of when we were young girls to young ladies. There were so many unique antiques with such good taste. We then ate lunch with such laughter and the food was superb. We were surprised with several gifts by a couple of the ladies who organized this month’s gathering. What a delightful day we had.

In August, we each brought a favorite dish and had a feast. Then we tried our hands at making red hat items to enhance our look. We made hatpins and not one looked alike. They each had character and charm of its own. We enjoyed each other's company and made plans for our next couple of gatherings.

September was a very exciting gathering for us in Glen Rose, Texas. We started out with dinner at Hammon's BBQ place and oh was it good. We were amazed at the respect and service we received and ate till our hearts were content. From there we went to see the outdoor Christian play called "the Promise.” Not only was the weather just right but the play was exception and very powerful. We had pictures made with the cast and all of us went home excited and very blessed.

October we headed off to Grapevine, Texas and shopped at the various stands in the middle of town at the gazebo. We then went through some unique shops up and down the strip. We laughed till our stomachs hurt over cards we read and things we saw. Lunchtime was eating at the well-known cafe named Tolbert’s. This place is known for their food and wouldn't you know, all of us ordered a sandwich of some sort. I guess for us it was location,location,location. The amazing part was running into folks from all over the world and being stopped to have our picture made with them. Even the Grapevine newspaper took our picture as a group.

In November we held a Red Hat Regalia Walk. The event was decorated with fall colors with a touch of Red Hat items. Each one came up with their Royal name and some were very original and unique. We were all winners but three went over the top and won a gift. We each brought a special dish and had a feast fit for a queen.

December we were off to Bedford and met at Cheddars for dinner. The weather was bad for a week but on Saturday it became beautiful where everyone was able to attend. We each brought a red hat gift for a white elephant gift and that ended up being the hit of the party. The food was excellent and all wore their Christmas attire along with their red hats. We received a lot of glances and some of us received hugs from other red hatter's that were there and wanted to acknowledge us. It is always fun to meet other Red Hatter's and to hear where they are from and something about their chapter.

Year 2007

We are now ready to welcome the year 2007 with new adventures for our chapter. We have not repeated an adventure so far and look forward in practicing that concept and still keep the cost where all can afford to attend. This year we changed up a bit with having two different ladies in the chapter each month plan the gathering. We are anxious to see what each group can come up with that will be fun and exciting.

In January, we toured Elliott's Hardware Store and what a treat it was. Elliott's is one of the oldest establishments in the metroplex - certainly one of the oldest hardware stores still operating today. We walked in with such excitement from one of our members who is employed at Elliott's. The management and many of the store employees not only made us feel special, but also treated us with royalty. We were greeted with coffee, cookies and all kinds of dips and dishes when we arrived. We were surprised with a bucket of goodies when we departed. Many of us had more fun touring, shopping and seeing things we never expected to see at a hardware store. We finished up our day at Ojeda's Mexican Food Restaurant. What a day we all had and a very exciting one at that.

February was our One Year Anniversary for the Scarlet O'Hatters Red Hat chapter. Our Keller sister's put together an exciting event that was above anything we could have expected. We met at the Golden Corral that is fairly new there in Keller and started off with games and lots of surprises. We had such good food with a huge variety to choose from. The Keller sisters had gifts for us to help celebrate this event along with other members who brought valentine and birthday gifts. We then had both ladies who started the chapter speak and both had gifts and surprises in store. We went over what Red Hats are and explained a little about what we did last year and then some upcoming events. We ended with lots of picture taking. Not to forget, one of the ladies worked hard on our one-year anniversary photo album that had many pictures.

March was an inspiring and encouraging gathering at the Scottish Rite Hospital. We took a tour of the hospital and learned and saw more than we ever expected. We were so amazed from start to finish that all we could do was clap. The hospital is totally funded by various donations, businesses and the Masons. Not one child pays a dime whether they have insurance or not. It is strictly geared towards muscular and skeleton for ages 18 and under. The hospital was to not look or smell like a hospital and believe me, we felt like we were in fairyland in various places. We took with us stuffed animals and books for the hospital to give out and they were so appreciative. Afterwards we had lunch at the Love Field Antique Mall Tearoom and toured the antique booths. We felt honored we were able to do this because as of March 15th they closed the place down. This was a historical building and a very sad event for the folks who spent many years there selling or buying.

For April we had to change plans due to the weather. We ended up at the Antiques and More and the Rose Tea Room in Arlington. We had such a blast at shopping and the prices were so reasonable with quality things. Most of us stayed in the jewelry area. We then ate in the tea room and that was magnificent in decor and the food was excellent. Two of our ladies had special gifts for everyone and all was made out of love for the group.

For May, we arrived at the Arboretum and immediately had our picture taken at the entrance in front of beautiful flowers, trees and bushes. The tram, driven by a very knowledgeable tour guide, was next on the agenda. We rode through what seemed like miles of all kinds of rows of the most beautiful flowers, unique and old trees and saw the home of the one who donated the property for the Arboretum and all the grounds. Our guide was so accommodating and patiently stopped a number of times to take pictures of us. One of our favorite pictures was taken in front of a Volkswagen Beetle and a Volkswagen Van that was covered with growing flowers. Another favorite was taken in front of a gigantic flowerpot and watering can. We saw several trees that were well over a hundred years old. One tree had been there since the late 1700s. Another tree had been sculptured to grow in a unique pattern for at least 60 years. Flowers' growing all over big four-sided butterfly display was fantastic. After the tram ride we walked to some really old wood houses, saw a sod house, a tee-pee and had our picture taken in a covered wagon. At another Butterfly display, all the ladies were able to become butterflies for a moment. Most of us brought a sack lunch and found a nice place with tables for us to eat.

June we all trooped off to the Trades Day in Canton, Texas. We shopped and all of us of bought something that had to do with Red Hat's. We stayed most of the time in a climate control building, which is where we ate a very good lunch. We then took off in the trolley and went to several other areas and ended up at "the Mountain" and met the lady that owned the Red Hat Store. There we tried on many different hats and clothes and had such a blast taking pictures and laughing. We ended the day by going by a nursing home to see a friend to our Queen and made her an honorary member of the Red Hat Society and our chapter.

July we gathered together and made banners to be in the 4th of July parade but did not get to attend the parade due to the weather. We plan to be in other parades and ready to go with our banners and decorations.

August was a hot month so we came together in a cool place. We played a game our Queen made up for everything we did since our chapter got started. We had a lot of laughs and then enjoyed the different dishes everyone brought for lunch.

September we went to Artisan, small town playhouse in Hurst, to see the musical Beauty and the Beast. Many of us agreed it was as good if not better than the one they have in Dallas at Fair Park. Afterwards, we drove down the street to a snow cone stand called Bedford Snowball Express that serves gourmet snow cones. Many of us are not fans of snow cones but were so impressed we now have a different opinion of snow cones. They were excellent - one you have got to experience for yourself!

October we did not meet on our usual Saturday but chose Thursday to go to the State Fair. It was free to seniors and movie ticket holders. We had a blast! We saw new cars that many of us drooled over, to a human cannonball. We shared in trying all the new fried foods - one was a fried peach cobbler on a stick. Many of us bought the famous State Fair Corny Dog with a glass of old fashion Root Beer. We all enjoyed the Marine Band and felt so honored. During this month, we had a yard sale on a Saturday. This was to make money for our "pot" for charitable and needed items. We bought from one another and had fun selling as well as shopping. We made more money than we expected and was blessed by so many people who stopped by.

November was one of those months that we wished every member could have made it. This month we had our Red Hat Glamour Shots and oh what a little bit of lipstick and a feather can do to a person – smile. We had more fun dressing up as well as dressing one another up for Glamour Shots. The Photographer and team were exceptionally good and made it fun. They brought all kinds of red hat regalia and other misc. clothing to dress up in. We are all anxious to see the results but our camera shots were fantastic. Afterwards we had a fantastic potluck lunch. What an amazing day! Some of us ended the day by driving to Plano to a one day Red Hat Closet Sale given by the DFW Red Hat Council.

December was such fun. One of our Red Hatters went all out with decorations and door prizes. We played games that made us laugh till we cried; I believed my sides hurt for awhile after I got home. One game meant for youngsters had us in stitches and we should have had a video. We sang Red Hat Christmas carols and ate a Brunch fit for a Queen. To end the gathering we exchanged homemade Christmas Red Hat ornaments to a story that wore us out from swapping from the left to the right and laughing. We met at the City Chamberlain Center and what a beautiful place to have a party. We hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a safe one at that!

Year 2008

Wow, another year and we are now into 2008! We have grown in so many ways. One example is becoming more like a family or as sisters. We can't wait to see one another and then we talk like we were at a family reunion - all at once.. smile. We are sure proud of our chapter!

January was very different than most of our gatherings have been. We gathered at Cracker Barrel in Arlington off 360 and we first shopped since they always have so many unique things. We made a train and sang "She will be coming around the mountain when she comes" to our table for lunch. Some of the folks were singing right along with us. We had two to become official members of our chapter since it was their third gathering and we had two new ones to join us as well.

February was our second year anniversary for our chapter and we gathered at Golden Coral in Keller on February 9th. We had a full room and so many brought surprises and gifts to help celebrate this fun filled event. We had "build a bear," cute little plants, all kinds of little trinkets and a red purse for a door prize that looked like a corset. We had our yearly "so called" business meeting with all the little goodies that come it with it. What a day we had and the food was excellent. We created a little scene with our plastic lips that was a horn and circled the restaurant making noises and waving. What a surprise to many folks eating who enjoyed it the moment. We ended the day with shopping at the little unique shops down the street and saw so many unique antiques and such friendly people.

March we went to Arlington to see a place called the Top O'Hill Terrace. This place would have been the Vegas here in Texas had it not been stopped. It stared in the 1930's and shut down in 1950's. The folks titled this “from Poker to Preaching” and now known as Arlington Baptist University. The history and the artifacts are so interesting and most of all the famous people who were known to party there, examples Clark Gable and Bonnie and Clyde. We concluded with a lunch at Poncho's and what a surprise we had with decorated tables the colors for Red Hat and the many gifts we received. What a fun filled and exciting day.

For April we went to Arlington to the Spaghetti Warehouse for just some fun. We had fun just having fun if that makes any sense. Afterwards we shopped at all the stores around and some of us found a store that sold Red Hat items.

For May, a group of us took suitcases that we all donated to CPS (Child Protection Services) and was rewarded with a wonderful employee that told us all that they do and how they encourage these children that are abandoned, abused or just taken from a parent/guardian. We were given a small tour of what was kept in stock for the children and for a parent. We are now looking at a project for our group to do at Christmas. We completed the day with lunch at Katy's Cafe that had wonderful plated meals at a reasonable price and then to Sam Moons and Rebekah's to shop for Red Hat items. To add to the excitement of May, many of us attended the Mesquite Rodeo on Friday, May 23rd along with hundreds of other Red and Pink Hatters and their friends and family. We felt so honored at all the excitement they had in store for all of us and the food was excellent before the rodeo began.

June we celebrated at Spring Creek BBQ the Red Hat anniversary with an old fashion birthday party. There were so many surprises in store by the two who put this gathering together. There was pin the red hat on the lady and create your own red hat magnet. We had red and purple cupcakes along with party favors and a special surprise gift which was a red hat arm band. What a fun time we all had.

In July we were in the Irving 4th of July parade and was excited to see how many folks came out to watch it. We made the Dallas Morning Newspaper, Neighborsgo newspaper and were on the local television as well for two different events. For the parade we had a flatbed trailer donated to us for the day and decorated it with such fun. We were so appreciative of the 4 men that came out to support us in driving and doing what was needed - what a blessing. Afterwards we had lunch at the Olive Garden and were given some noise makers. We were the hit of the restaurant but could have been a little quieter. Oh well.. we were there to have fun and fun we had.

August we had a Luau in Grand Prairie at a clubhouse and were challenged to bring some sort of Hawaiian dish. There were 38 of us there, which meant a huge variety of Hawaiian food choices. We were asked to dress according to theme along with still presenting our red hat regalia. The clubhouse was decorated to the theme and we had a dance contest along with several games. The game called "Pass the coconut" was the hit of the day. For an extra event other than our regular gathering, some of us attended the musical "Menopause". We laughed so hard that tears ran down our faces. We saw ourselves in many of the settings. This musical was well worth the effort and expense. We encourage others to go see it when the opportunity is available.

September we went to Fuddruckers in Grapevine for the big kid meals. We played games and had a clothespin game that kept us laughing. Some of us went to the Grapevine Outlet Mall afterwards while others went to the town's garage sale which was huge.

For October we were off to the Ft Worth Stockyards and did we have a blast. We saw Zimmerman from the Travel Channel and took all kinds of pictures with him. He is the one that eats all the exotic food as he travels all around the world. We were face to face with Longhorn cattle that had horns of various sizes and shapes. We really enjoyed eating at Risky's BBQ with a few surprises from the ladies that hosted this month's gathering. We ended the day with shopping in all the unique little western shops and enjoyed two live western bands on the strip. What a day to remember.

November was a busy month for our chapter. The first Saturday we attended the Denim and Diamond Metroplex Red Hat Gathering for us that were ticket holders. We had a lot of fun and afterwards enjoyed the tour of where the movie Dallas was filmed at or some of it anyway. The second Saturday was our regular chapter gathering and we met at a clubhouse here in Irving. We tried our hand at scrapbooking for our pictures and then blanket making for charity. Everyone brought in food for our luncheon which topped off the time we had together to just visit. The third Saturday a few of us went to Tyler, TX to shop at the Swap and Buy Red Hat Sale and to get pointers on how we can get involved in something like that in the future. Shopped we did and had a very good time all the way there and back.

For December we had such a good time with all the games we played. One was in teams and dressing up one team member as a snow women with one roll of toilet paper. They turned out so funny but very cute. We had a contest on all the Christmas socks everyone wore in different categories and a Christmas song contest for the gift you received. We also enjoyed a fantastic lunch from all the food everyone brought. Also in December, we had a couple of our ladies take the blankets our chapter made in the past months to the Child Protective Services. What an honor to give to such a needy cause and what a way to end the year!

Year 2009

Well as you can see - we are still on a roll at not duplicating a gathering twice except for our anniversary. However, this year we are changing the location for our anniversary and we may.. just may... repeat one event but will have to wait and see. There are still so many places to explore and ideas to come up with.

January was our talent show and we had plenty of talent and then some. We were amazed at the dancing, singing, a webpage from one that is a photographer and music to go with the slides, poems, stories and the quilter's explanation. We had from serious to stomach hurting laughter and to top it off, we had one to totally act out the poem of "When I grow old", wow, what a treat. We ended the gathering with good ole pizza and dessert.

February was our 3rd year celebration and what a treat for everyone. We met at the Golden Corral in the Colony and had a feast along with surprises to the galore. We entertained the others in the place by wearing silly glasses and shaking some clappers right before we sat down to eat. We saw a lot of smiles and were asked a lot of questions - which made it all the more fun. We were excited to see all the pictures from the past 3 years and it reminded all of us on how much fun we had at every gathering.

March was another very interesting and fun event. We were privileged to tour the Heritage House in Irving and it took us back in time. We then toured old downtown Irving along with a special speaker from Al's Rental. For lunch we met at the Big State Drugstore and ate some of the best old fashion hamburgers and milkshakes - now that really took us back in time. After touring some of the little shops, we ended our day by visiting the motorcycle shop and there we had refreshments and met some of the nicest people. We received some beautiful flowers from the flower shop which made it special for all of us. By the way, one of our ladies had the honor of meeting President George Bush at her job and had her picture taken with him.

April was a very easy going social gathering at one of our member's beautiful home in Irving. We had a high tea with a variety of flavors to pick from. Our lunch consist of all kinds of fingerfoods and there were plenty of sweets as well. Several ladies brought their Red Hat items they could no longer wear or want and sold them within the group.

May was an overnight at the Marriott Courtyard in Las Colinas. What a fun fill day and night filled with all kinds of surprises. One was a scavenger hunt within the hotel. You could tell many have not played that game in years and the hotel staff had the biggest kick watching us look for clues. Late in the evening we had a PJ Fashion show and that was just as much fun. Along with games and swimming and the hot tub, we had lots of food, as always, and the dinner and breakfast was a feast.

June we went to Ft Worth to see the Cowgirl Museum and was impressed with all the history of women. Some of us rode a mechanical bull and was videoed into looking as though we were in a rodeo, such fun. We ate lunch at the Dos Gringos Mexican Food Restaurant and there we drew the tickets for winners of our raffle. We had a homemade quilt, a weekend for two at the Marriott Courtyard with breakfast in Las Colinas and then several other small gifts. We made enough donations to last us 2 years to cover our cost in stamps and etc needed for our chapter and to give to charity.

July we headed to Grand Prairie to eat at another Mexican food restaurant called Monterrey Little Mexico and I believe we woke the place up. Afterwards we watched a play at the Uptown Theater and watched the Music Man. We all agreed it was worth missing the fireworks to see this delightful play and was very impressed at the acting ability.

August was a fun time with taking old time pictures. We had a homemade ice cream contest along with a potluck meal. What a relaxing and fun day.

September was a 50's celebration at a clubhouse in Grand Priarie. For $3.00 we had an old fashion homemade hamburger with the works - what a treat. There were all kinds of contest and the fun part was seeing all the different poodle skirts and outfits. We each brought a pair of new socks for charity.

October we were off to Richardson to the Heritage House Museum. They were having a fall festival with crafts and other events. We learned to make rope, spent time in a late 1800's one room school and was a part of their reenactment. We watched a blacksmith make tools and some of us had a hand in milking a cow. The music was by a group of elderly gentlemen and their music were songs in the early 1900's.

November we went to the west side of Arlington to a small community called Pantego. There we visited the huge Decorators Warehouse full of Christmas items and all of us shopped and either bought or came home with some fun ideas to decorate. We had a group picture taken with Santa and some received a kiss from him. We left there and went to Cafe Puledo's in Arlington for lunch. Not only was the food good, the prices just right but the service was very uplifting and made all of us feel welcomed.

December we headed off to Ft Worth to a very nice Mexican Restaurant. Even though the place was decorated fully for Christmas, the ladies that were in charge took it a step more. There were all kinds of surprises, gifts and the food was outstanding. What a fun and exciting Christmas that we will all remember.

Year 2010

We are getting ready to celebrate our 4th anniversary year and what a joy. This may be the first year we repeat a gathering we have done in the first 2 years of our chapter but we shall see. We have grown tremendously in our love for one another and in number but are nearing the first time ever to put a close to membership until an opening comes available. Right now we have 3 available spots and you must attend 3 times before you can become a member, we have 1 working on hers - we will maintain only 45 active members in our chapter.

January was a hoot! We were blessed with a movie before the movie. The first movie was of all our previous gatherings with special music effects - what fun.... The second movie was a Doris Day movie. Before the movie we were challenged with questions about the 50's to see how much we could remember and many surprised us on how much they did remember. During the movie we had hot dogs, chili frito pie, popcorn and candy. We felt like a big family of sisters sharing a special time together.

February was a huge celebration for our chapter's 4th anniversary at Golden Corral in the Colony. Every year is different although we use the same facility. This year we all were given new kazoos, and played and sang all over the facility. Our chapter started with a Queen and as of last year a Vice Queen, this month we incorporated 2 more Vice Queens. All three Vice Queens play different roles and add a lot to our chapter. With it being Valentines, we celebrated the holiday and exchanged valentines cards and gifts. What a blast and another celebration to remember.

March started off with our Red Hat Cruise, a total of 24 went on the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston. Our tour was to Progresso Mexico and the Island of Cozumel, a total of 5 days. What a trip all of us will never forget, and of all the fun we had together. The next weekend we had our regular chapter gathering and were off to the Vineyards Antique Mall and Tea Room in Colleyville. This place has a huge variety of items at really good prices. The tearoom was nice and had enough room to house all of us. One of our pink hatter’s is expecting her first child, and we surprised her with a baby shower. Our first baby for our chapter in the 4 years we have been together.

April is the start of excitement with Easter, which puts many of us into mother, grandmother mode. We went to the Heritage Park in Dallas for a tour and what an interesting place. Everything there is before 1910, very peaceful and full of history. You actually stepped back in time and saw the town as it was back in its day with a bank, railroad station and lots of other points of interest. There were folks dressed to the part and knew their history behind each house and building along with the items inside them. For lunch we went to the West End and ate at the Spaghetti Warehouse. The weather was perfect and so was the day.

May was a laid-back kind of atmosphere. We were suppose to go to the Dallas Arboretum but due to the weather we ended up at a church. We took our sack lunches and watch another old but funny movie. We all enjoyed just spending time together and catching up.

June was such fun, we had an old fashion swim party and was catered with picnic food such as chicken and banana pudding. The decorations in the clubhouse was all geared to items you would have at a picnic. We sat in the water and cooled off while enjoying each others company. Afterwards, several of us went to the movies and watched Letters to Juliet and ate popcorn.

July was our 4th parade in Irving and we not only made the local TV program but the newspaper as well. Our float was so colorful and very well done, thanks to several of our ladies who put in lots of time and work. We had a float, one on a motor scooter and then a convertible VW Bug which was decorated up for to represent our pink hatters. We ate lunch at Olive Garden afterwards and it was such a fun filled day.

August we were off to Grand Prairie to go through the famous Ripley's Believe or Not Wax Museum and Odditorium. We ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Arlington and then some went back to go through the Glass Maze.

September we toured and shopped in old downtown Carrollton in the little shops and ate at Wonderful World of Cooking - what a treat and what a delightful day. We had a miunute of silence for 9/11, what a honor.

October was such fun, we headed off to Dallas and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Oh my.. talking about being in sweet heaven - smile - with all the different kinds of cheesecake to pick from, yummy. From there we toured the Biblical Arts Museum and was fansinated with all the art and how it was presented. We all found it to be very interesting and the staff was wonderful - the tour guide we had was very informative.

November was a unique month - what we had planned did not happen so we made the best of it and had fun. We had potluck for lunch and some amazing birthday cakes that were shaped and decorated as Red Hats. We then went to a craft fair across town and shopped. Being Red/Pink Hatters, we know how to entertain ourselves under any circumstance and that we did.

December we were off to Ft Worth to eat Mexican Food and celebrate Christmas. We exchanged gifts and so many brought little gifts to add to the little bag of goodies in front of our plates. We had such fun just being together as a family of sisters.

Year 2011

We are getting ready to celebrate our 5th year together. We are still a very tight group of about 42 ladies, of all ages, and from all over the metroplex. We love to give to one another and the bond has grown tremendously. What a blessing!

January, our Pink Hatters hosted our Gathering. They had us playing several crazy games and fed us a wonderful lunch. We had 2 of our Red Hatters bake mini cakes for everyone who had a January birthday and surprised them all. This will be a tradition for our chapter this year.

February we celebrated our 5th anniversary for our chapter. We gathered at Golden Corral in Little Elm and had our yearly meeting that went over all the things we did last year and what to look forward to for our 6th year. There were gifts to the galore, prizes for everyone and then came the real fun. Before we ate, we all wore bright red sunglasses and sung a red hat song through the restaurant as loud as we could which as been our tradition since the first year. What a celebration!

March was such a sweet month - we went to the Chocolate Festival in Grapevine and pigged out on chocolate of all sorts. We then shopped and ended our day at Fuddruckers with a Big Kids hamburger meal. It was such a pretty day and one we will remember.

April, we ate first at a 60 year restaurant called Campisi's which is Italian - not only was the price right but they are very generous with their portions. We then took a tour of Dallas on a charter bus as though we were visitors here in the area. What a blessing but a huge eye opener on the sights. Most of us have lived here all our lives and were amazed at what all we experienced.

May was so relaxing and fun. We met in the Fellowship Hall at Village Baptist Church and each brought something for potluck. Each of us shared something about ourselves and had the opportunity to really get to know one another. We ended with the raffle drawing we hosted for our 2 year fundraiser.

June we went to Hurst and saw the play "Sound of Music" at the Artisan Playhouse. The play was so well done with strong actors. Afterwards the majority of us went to the famous snowcone stand down the road and enjoyed our favorite flavor.

July we had a game day at a clubhouse and everyone brought a dish for lunch. We had surprised games for everyone to play and later some played card games while others swam in the pool. One of our ladies headed up a charity event for us to bring blankets and hats for premature babies in Parkland. We joined hands with the store Googley Eyes and many others to make an impact on giving.

August was at the Draper and Damens Dress shop in Dallas off Lovers Lane. We had 5 volunteers to model clothes for just our group - what a delight to see them in a different setting. Each model was so pretty and creative with their attire. The manager catered us lunch and we will remember this gathering for some time.

September - The Forestwood Antique mall was the perfect place for our gathering. With 45,00 square feet and 200 + vendors, the Scarlet O’Hatters had ample shopping fun. Some ladies found some Red Hat jewelry. Lunch in the Tea Room was excellent as was just visiting with each other. The gentleman playing the piano provided a great scene for our group picture.

October was a relaxed gathering with a potluck luncheon and an Elvis movie. We enjoyed just being together and taking it easy.

November was a very busy month. We started off by attending a National Red Hat Gathering here in the metroplex hosted by the Queen Council of DFW. The event Denim and Diamonds is every 1st Saturday in November at the Southfork Ranch. It is a time to meet other Red Hatters across the country with a lot of excitement and venders. We met for our monthly Gathering two weeks later at the Country Peddler Show in Arlington, most of us shopped a lot. We finished up with lunch at the Black-eyed Pea with lots of home-style food and cake. A week later we had a sister to lose her father and we helped with food and attended the funeral in our red hat regalia to represent us.

December was such fun with our West Side Sisters hosting the Gathering in Bedford at the Firepit. The food was wonderful with a variety of food on the buffet, the servers were very helpful and the party was over the top with fun and much laughter. Our three host gave away many gifts and the Queen was blessed beyond measure. We ended the event by singing Christmas carols with the folks who were in the restaurant. Let us end this year by saying Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Red/Pink Hat to you this coming year.

Year 2012

Wow.. Another year has come and gone! For 2012, we will celebrate our 6th chapter’s anniversary. How exciting is that! We have so much in store for 2012 and look forward toward another successful year.

January was so much fun. We had a talent show among our own ladies in our chapter. Our oldest member, a 91 year old, stole the show. She is as active as our 60 year olds are! She displayed and talked about many of the quilts she made by hand and still showcases. To top the day, we had a potluck luncheon that was a huge feast for everyone.

For more details about our chapter, please contact me by highlighting Glenda on the left-hand side to get my email. Please type something so I will know your interest or your thoughts.

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