Have you seen those senior ladies with their red hats flitting about town? Stop and talk to one, and here’s what she might say: 

“When I’m an old woman, I’ll wear purple…or pink, or blue, or fuchsia or lime green. I’ll throw on my 1920s flapper dress and parade down Main Street, twirling my umbrella. I’ll visit the chrome buffalo sculpture in downtown Grand Junction, and plop my red hat with the big boa feather on his head just to give him a little style.”

“Later, I’ll slip on my best silk dress to go out for lunch with my friends, and top it off with a flashy tiara because I’m a queen. I’ll wave to the people who can’t help but stare. It may be my outfit that attracts them, but it’s my joyful smile that draws them near.”

“Who are you?” they ask, “and why are you having so much fun?”

“I’m a member of the Red Hat Society, which means I’ve permitted myself to get a little outrageous now and then. I’ve worked hard all my life, and I deserve it! My mature lady friends, won’t you join me?”

WHY THE RED HATS?

The Red Hat Society is a worldwide membership group that encourages women in their quest to get the most out of life. 

Former IT Tech and current Red Hat Queen Kathy Guerrie believes wholeheartedly in this credo. 

“I remember the very first time I ever dressed in red and purple and went out with our group,” she said. “We all met at Starbucks that morning and I was the first one to get there. I was embarrassed to even get out of the car until somebody else showed up with red and purple on. Since then, it doesn’t bother me one bit!” 

There’s a story behind those colors. It starts with British poet and children’s author Jenny Joseph, who penned the poem, “Warning” in 1961. It served as the inspiration for the Red Hat Society, as it begins: “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat that doesn’t go.” 

The poem warns the reader that if they expect an “old” woman to act a certain way, they’d better revisit those expectations!

“Everybody is so attracted to what we’re doing and the fact that we’re having fun and laughing and giggling,” Guerrie said, “We can be outside of a restaurant on Main Street, and even the young teenagers will be sitting there watching us like, what in the world are these old ladies doing? A couple of us have just gone up and put our arms around the girls’ shoulders and said, ‘You can do this too! You can be a pink hatter and join in all this fun!’”

“Red hatters,” as they’re called, are 50 years and older, but younger women who join are called “pink hatters” as their colors are pink and lavender. 

The rules for belonging to the group? 

“They have to dress in red hat colors every time they come to an event,” Guerrie explained, “but other than that, there are no rules!”

PAINTING THE TOWN

Guerrie and fellow Red Hat Queen Leslie Kiesler encourage all ladies on the Western Slope to attend the Red Hat Convention in May 2024. 

“You know how you felt when you went to your prom?” Kiesler asked. “How you were all dressed up and just felt really beautiful?” That’s what you can expect at the convention. 

This ladies-only event will take place at Two Rivers Convention Center May 16-19. Attendees will enjoy a jewelry-making class, a vendor area for shopping, dress-up opportunities, gourmet evening meals with entertainment and more. Best of all, it’s a chance to have fun and establish lasting friendships. 

“You have a group of sisters like none other,” Kiesler said.

Outside of the convention, the three Red Hat chapters that are currently active in the Grand Junction area (there’s also a small group in Paonia) meet regularly for fun and to support the community. Donating to assisted living centers in the area, to the women’s shelter, to troops overseas and the Center for Children are just a few of the activities they’ve been involved in. 

Above all, the groups are about getting together and having some time to “forget all our pains and problems for a while and just enjoy life,” Guerrie said.

Ladies commonly meet at local restaurants, but can also be found playing miniature golf, painting, axe throwing, making gift baskets and any other fun thing they can think of.

“All of us are about the same place in our lives,” Guerrie said, “and it’s a way for everyone to get out and do things. Your mom used to tell you that you couldn’t be loud and crazy and party and dress weird and all that kind of stuff. Well, if you’re a red hatter, you can do whatever you want!” 

Walk the Red Carpet on May 16-19, 2024

Register for the Red Hat Convention at Two Rivers Convention Center by March 1.

Cost for the convention is $275, with an optional wine tour and tea party for a small fee. 

Membership in the Red Hat Society is $29 per year.

Call Guerrie at 970-773-4956 or go to WesternColoradoRedHatters.com for details.