By NATASHA OSBORNE-HOWE
Special to the Eagle Times
NEWPORT — With colorful fanfare and fun, the Newport chapter of the National Red Hat Society, Sugar River Chicks, hosted a milestone celebration for the society’s 20th birthday on Wednesday evening.
The women paraded into the Sugar River Bank Community Room in their trademark purple and red attire, with feather boas and red hats of various designs.
Patricia Schmidt, reigning queen, presided over the dinner in a red sequined dress and flamboyant wide-brimmed hat. She joined the group in 2005 and assumed the role of queen when Donna Pitkin asked her in the fall of 2017 after a reign of 13 years. A queen is a woman who has started a chapter of the Red Hat Society (RHS).
“I met Donna when she came into the Eagle Tavern one day for lunch with a few Red Hatters and she was wearing purple,” Schmidt recalled. “Donna introduced me and I thought I’m too young to join these older women.”
Schmidt got thinking about it though and eventually joined.
“It’s fun and opened up a whole new world for me,” she commented. “I’ve made new friends and I go out and do new things.”
Pitkin established the Sugar River Chicks after her son encouraged her to start a chapter. At an airport shop in Florida, her daughter-in-law spotted a red hat and showed it to Pitkin. The $100 price tag deterred her from purchasing it. Her son, though, surprised her with buying the hat and encouraged her to start a Red Hat Society chapter.
Pitkin gathered a few women friends and they put their heads together for a name. The Sugar River was the inspiration.
“It has been very fulfilling and these are a great bunch of ladies,” she noted. “It’s been fun, fun, fun.”
The women all have their own stories of how they joined. After retiring, Violet Simpson was considering relocating from New York in 2013.
“I wasn’t sure about moving here as it was such a big change,” she revealed. “I saw a notice in the paper about the group and I had heard about them.”
Simpson gave it a try and felt welcome, which was a deciding factor in moving to New Hampshire.
“It was the first opportunity to feel a part of the community,” she said.
Margaret Vinceletti had a similar experience upon joining 13 years ago.
“This gave me an opportunity to meet new people when I first moved here and engage in community activity,” she reflected.
The founder of the Red Hat Society was Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California. She bought a red fedora in a thrift store and gave it to a friend on her 55th birthday, encouraging her to be playful after reading the poem, “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. It made an impression on other women and a movement began. The society was officially born on April 25, 1998 and the hat is in the Smithsonian.
According to website, the Red Hat Society is defined as “a playgroup for women created to connect like-minded women, make new friends and enrich lives through the power of fun and friendship.” Members come from all walks of life and have varied interests.
The benefits for members are the powerful interpersonal connections, supporting each other in every stage of life. The society endeavors to free women from particular stereotypes and reshape how they are viewed in today’s culture.
Women typically join after the age of 50 but younger members are now accepted. They wear pink hats and lavender clothing. At 26, Ali Wood is the youngest member, joining three years ago. She learned about the society from a co-worker.
“I am proud to be a part of this with strong, smart, lovely women and I feel valued,” Wood remarked. “It’s like they are passing something on.”
The women in the group are mainly from Newport but Washington and Unity are also represented. There are approximately 30 members of the Newport chapter and they meet once a month in the community room at the bank.
The Chicks go out for fun activities, meals, a movie, theater and shopping, etc.
The group participated in the Newport Winter Carnival Parade from 2005 to 2012 and won first prize for its float every year except one. Members also put on Breakfast with Santa with a pancake breakfast at the Newport Senior Center
After enjoying a buffet meal prepared by chef Rolf Schmidt, the queen’s husband, the women played their own version of bingo and blew out the happy birthday song on kazoos, which had been tucked into their goody bags.
For more info, visit https://sugarriver
chicks.weebly.com
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.