Morson ladies start Red Hat Society for fun

Ken Johnston

If you haven’t heard of them you have likely seen them.
Women wearing bright red hats and purple clothing are members of one of the fastest growing organizations; The Red Hat Society.
Last Thursday a group of ladies held an organizational meeting in Morson to form the first one in this area.
Bev Brodie and Norine Larson, both summer residents of Morson, decided that they had so much “Fun” belonging to Red Hat Societies back home that why not start one in Morson.
So what is a Red Hat Society? It is women over the age of 50 uniting under the umbrella of a red hat to bond in sisterhood with the sole purpose of having “Fun.”
It started in 1997 when a woman in California presented a friend with a copy of a poem called “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. In that poem it says, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which does not go and doesn’t suit me.” It also says that “Aging can be filled with many frivolous and ‘freeing’ moments.”
The first Red Hat Society was formed in the spring of 1998. It has since spread across the U.S. and to 20 other countries. This spring it registered its 25,000th chapter and continues to register them at a rate of about 500 new chapters each week.
The Morson chapter met at Bev Brodie’s summer residence last Thursday for lunch and socializing. They enjoyed a Chicken Salad and fruit cup with key lime pie as well as great conversation.
“There are no rules, no fees, no organization. We just get together to have fun!” said Brodie.
They anticipate that their Red Hat Society will have 16-20 members and they plan to get together a couple of times this summer and have fun.