Elvis attends Red Hatters tea
Contributed by Imogene Sharpe

Elvis (Ernie Perdue) sings to Red Hat lady Jeanette Barnes at Forest Pines Red Hat Tea. Photo courtesy of Imogene Sharpe

The Forest Pines Foxes and Laker Ladies Red Hat Chapters invited other Red Hat Chapters from Columbia and the surrounding area for an Afternoon Tea Party October 7, 2:30-4 pm at Forest Pines, 1720 Devonshire Drive, Columbia, South Carolina.

Sassy Red Hatters in all their gorgeous (some loud & tacky) purple and red outfits strutted their stuff to surprise entertainment, "Elvis" impersonator, Ernie Perdue.

Along with the "tea," there was an abundance of delicious food, a gift for each Red Hat guest, fantastic door prizes, not to mention all the fun and excitement!

What little girl doesn't enjoy playing dress up for a tea party? Now, Red Hat ladies do as adults again just for fun. The tea was a time for senior ladies to get together, cut loose, and enjoy themselves. The setting proved to be absolutely awesome with the dining room all decked out in red and purple. The ladies were positively dazzling in all their red and purple finery.

The afternoon wrapped up with lots of picture snapping, hugs, and exchanging of Red Hatters' phone numbers.

Everyone commented on what a wonderful time they had, how beautiful everything was, and said they couldn't thank Forest Pines enough for inviting them.

Many said they had not been to such a large gathering for Red Hatters and couldn't wait till next year. The Forest Pines Foxes Red Hat ladies have decided to host a yearly Red Hat Tea for the Columbia area Red Hat ladies.

Forest Pines, located in Columbia, is an independent retirement residence offering gracious retirement living and a unique lifestyle. The residents' ages range from 50 years of age to 98 years of age.

The Red Hat Society is often referred to fondly as a "disorganization," though it has been forced to impart a degree of order to the operations. It was inadvertently begun by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California, when she and a few friends took inspiration from a poem entitled Warning by Jenny Joseph, which begins

"When I am an old

woman I shall wear

purple

With a red hat

which doesn't go

and doesn't suit

me..."

Since the poem mentions wearing a red hat and purple attire, Cooper and her friends formed a group that met on a regular basis for tea in their red hats and purple dresses, in public, of course. Red Hat Society membership includes the bragging rights of belonging to the fastest growing women's dis-organization in the world, which is changing the way members view aging.

Members must be a woman 50 or over (or they may be a Pink Hatter under 50). They must attend functions in full regalia - red hat, purple outfit for women 50 and over or pink hat and lavender outfit for under 50.