Written By Patricia Bianca
Eldersburg’s Barbara Northrop is petite, elegant and by nature, no-nonsense. Crazy red hats, plastic crowns and gaudy purple outfits are probably the last kind of presents that she expected to receive at a party for her 60th birthday.
Barbara hadn’t even heard of the Red Hat Society, much less acquainted herself with its trappings. Her friends insisted, however, that upon retiring, she should not only join the society, but that she would found her own chapter. “You will be a queen!” they insisted.
“Queen” is the accolade bestowed upon the leader of each chapter of The Red Hat Society, which now boasts 40,000 chapters across the United States and in 30 foreign countries. With an average of 20 to 25 members in each chapter-primarily women 50 years old or older-there are a lot of red hats running around.
Based on the poem “Warning” by Jenny Joseph, which begins with the line, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me,” members of the Red Hat Society don red hats and wear purple clothing. That is, unless it is the month of their birthday. Then the color scheme is changed. Members under the age of 50 wear pink hats with lavender clothing. Those are essentially the only hard and fast rules of this booming organization.
The Red Hat Society was founded in 1998 by Sue Ellen Cooper in Fullerton, California. Initially, her group of friends gathered regularly for afternoon tea and pleasant conversation. Word quickly spread of the outings, followed by press coverage, and soon the phenomena was born. The idea of dressing up and having fun apparently struck a cord with maturing baby boomer women from all walks of life, many of whom were looking for a break from busy lifestyles and a chance to expand their network of friends.
Chapters are typically run by a queen, who determines how often the group meets, dues (if any), the types of activities the group will pursue and other details. There are approximately 68 chapters in Carroll County, and true to her friends’ prediction, Barbara Northrop founded one of them.
“I looked into it and thought, this looks like a neat way to expand friendships, so I thought I’d try it, and it did,” she said.
Barbara’s group, known as The Classy Ladies, is based in Eldersburg. The chapter was founded in 2005 and currently has 23 members, ranging in ages from under 50 to over 83. Some of the members are mothers and daughters.
The Classy Ladies are quite active. They play games together, attend dinner theaters, take day trips and, it is rumored, once tried their hand at skydiving. These are definitely not stereotypical little old ladies.
Although the Classy Ladies don’t use their gatherings to focus on one another’s ills, they do offer a great deal of friendship and support to one another. Half of them are cancer survivors, and they’ve all supported each other through health struggles and family tragedies.
“A lot of my chapter members call each other Ôsisters’ because that’s how close they feel to the other members,” said Barbara. “We have members who are widows. Children don’t live next door anymore, friends are dying off and what do they have? They have us.”
The sense of family is a sentiment echoed by another Carroll County “queen,” Marion Corsen of the New Horizon Red Hatters, located in the New Horizon retirement community in Westminster.
“We’re like family members,” Marion says of her nine chapter members. “We all like each other.” In between formal monthly events, Marion’s members call each other, socialize and sometimes attend church together.
Red Hat Society chapters are becoming commonplace in many retirement communities, where retirees look forward to getting out for group activities. A typical active Carroll County senior, Marion is involved in several projects and volunteer programs, but finds it easy to manage her chapter because she has the support of her “ladies,” who are all happy to chip in, help make calls and arrange events. Marion’s only stipulation as queen is that everyone get along. “If they can’t be sociable with each other, then I don’t want them in the group. It’s supposed to be fun!”
Of course, anyone who is willing to go out dressed in Red Hat regalia must have a tendency toward lightheartedness. At least that’s what one local business owner has found.
Janice Shehan opened the Red Hat Bazaar in Taneytown in October of 2005 to cater to her fellow Red Hatters. She had no retail experience whatsoever and simply wanted an excuse to “get out of the house.” She has found interacting with this exclusive clientele to be so pleasant that the challenges of managing a business have taken a back seat.
“They’re trusting and trustworthy,” said Janice. “They’re upbeat. They’re friendly. They smile at you. It’s a real joy to have this store.”
The store has proven an asset for Taneytown as well. With only three other Red Hat-themed boutiques in the nation-two in California and one in Alaska-busloads of Red Hatters arrive in Taneytown on a regular basis. In addition to yellow school busses full of Red Hatters, one often sees large commercial buses unloading ladies in front of the shop. “We’re on private tours now, too,” Janice said.
Although she was all too happy to recommend her clients to her fellow businesses in Taneytown, which included gift shops, antique stores and eateries, the ladies were all asking for a tearoom. So in October of 2006, Janice opened the elegant Piccadilly’s Tearoom.
With a steady flow of older women with time on their hands and money to spend, other new businesses are now opening, including the highly anticipated addition of a day spa called The Pampered Lady and a few more upscale antique shops.
“What we’re trying to do is arrange a full day of activities for these ladies when they come into town, because many of them travel 100 miles or from three states over,” said Janice. “They may be coming to the Red Hat Bazaar, but this is an opportunity for all of Taneytown to to enjoy their visits as well.”
Are these red hat-wearing tourists just a trend? Janice bristles at the very idea. “That’s an insult to women over 50, because we’re getting stronger and stronger every day. There are more of us turning 50. We’re living longer and we’re not going away. We’re not a trend. We’re having a good time, a really good time!”
