Red Hat Society groups grow in popularity
Staff writer
Hillsboro now has two groups of ladies that go by the name of the Red Hat Society.
The first Red Hat Society organized in Hillsboro started in May 2003.
"Somebody from Marion invited me and my daughter to come to the Red Hat Society over there, and I thought it would be fun to have one in Hillsboro," said founder Jean Beauchamp.
Society members go in alphabetical order taking turns planning the monthly outing.
"There are no politics. This is a chance for us to go out once a month and just enjoy ourselves," said Beauchamp.
The group meets the first Tuesday of every month and currently has 11 members, Merlie Friesen, Roberta Isaac, Delores Johnson, Lorene Jost, Jean Keller, Ann Loewen, Beverly Richards, Ruth Vanderwilt, Mary Wiens, Jean Beauchamp, and Gladys Buller. New members are welcome and should contact any current society member.
The second group was organized by Agnes Steinert and has 13 members. Neither group is affiliated with the national society.
"We're not going to join the national association right now," said Steinert. "We don't want to go to convention, and for now we're just doing it for fun."
The members are Judy Reno, Mary Alice Jolley, Jean Case, Janice Case, Hilda Seifert, and Lavonne Hannaford of Marion, Vivian Mueller of Canada, Agnes Bernhard of Tampa, and Betty Burnhardt, Dot Herbel, Marcella Bruce, Lorene Kleiber, and Agnes Steinert of Hillsboro.
"I wanted to keep it small," said Steinert. "It's a good number for lunch."
The group was started in March of this year and meets the second Wednesday of every month.
The Red Hat Society is a national organization started in 1998 by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton California. It is open to women 50 and over who dare to be different.
