The Red Hat Society has more than 1 million members in 27 countries.

The Red Hat Society has more than 1 million members in 27 countries.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YANKEE LAKE -- Regardless of your emotional state, you could be forgiven if you left the Yankee Lake Ballroom on Sunday seeing red.
The longtime entertainment site on state Route 7 was a sea of red as about 750 members of a regional Red Hat Society group gathered for their second annual event as part of National Red Hat Day 2006.
Women from the Valley, as well as some from as far away as Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa., and Maryland, spent the afternoon enjoying country music and numerous festivities -- and one another.
"It's all about fun. We raised our children and husbands and did all our regular work, so this is about us," said Barbara Tidwell of Masury, hostess of the event.
Echoing those sentiments were Ann Root and June Lamb, both of Champion. Not having enough to do at home as well as having a desire for companionship were the main reasons the two joined, they said.
"Our husbands say go; they want to get rid of us," said Lamb with a laugh.
Both women added that they enjoy going to lunch, to shows and other activities about once a month with fellow Red Hat members. Root and Lamb said that being connected to the local chapter has made a positive difference in their lives.
How group began
Tidwell, also known as the area chapter's "Queen Bee," said the idea caught on six years ago when the Red Hat Society's founder, Sue Ellen Cooper, gave friends vintage red hats and a poem as part of her 50th birthday. Now, the Fullerton, Calif.-based Red Hat Society has more than 1 million members age 50 and older in 27 countries, Tidwell noted. Members wear purple outfits with their red hats.
The society also is open to women under 50. Those members wear pink hats and lavender outfits until they "graduate" (a "reduation," as members call it) on their 50th birthday and trade in their pink hats for red ones.
Around 100 chapters were represented, and 19 vendors sold merchandise at Sunday's event. For this fun-loving bunch, the only rule is that there are no rules, Tidwell said.
"Some groups do fundraisers, but it's up to each group what they want to do," she said, adding that activities include meeting for lunch, going bowling and taking bus trips to New York City and elsewhere.
The hundreds of women who filled the ballroom Sunday had plenty to do and listen to. Borrowing from a country music repertoire that included songs like "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys," "Friends in Low Places," "King of the Road" and "Crazy" were several local singers and cancan dancers.
Activities
Festivities also included a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction and a buffet. Among the items for sale were a variety of purses, handbags, sachets, umbrellas, cellular phone cases and scrapbooks -- most featuring red as the dominant color. Many of the women also bought buttons, angel pins, soaps, candles, books by Cooper and the society's own magazine.
Belonging to the society has value beyond the entertainment and activities, some members say. Wendy Sobash, Tidwell's daughter and Sunday's event planner, said her brother was killed in a car accident seven years ago and that the loss was devastating to her and her mother. Many members have lost husbands and other loved ones and find comfort in the support the society provides, she explained.
"It's therapeutic to see how well mom is doing," said Sobash, of Masury. "It's given her new friendships."
"It's the best thing I ever did for myself. I did things I've never done before," added Tidwell.
For more information, check out the group's official Web site, redhatsociety.com or just do a search for "Red Hat Society."