Mountain Blossoms Red Hat Club members pose for this photo taken in October 2004. The current club, consisting of about 15 or 16 active members, is in the process of becoming a chartered member of the National Red Hat Society. Some of the ladies in this photo have since left to charter their own club.

Warning: Ladies in purple and red

A short poem about growing older, entitled “Warning” by Jenny Joseph, has inspired older ladies around the country to don bright colors and enjoy their later years. The poem notes, “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go...”

It is with this fun theme that two groups of “Red Hat Ladies,” who are ladies who mostly range in age from 50 years old and up, were formed here in recent years in Alleghany County. The clubs have been forming nationwide for several years.

Mountain Blossoms

According to Carolyn Ebright, who serves as the Mountain Blossoms’ group leader — also known as the group’s Queen Mother — the first Alleghany-based group began meeting about four or five years ago. The first group of ladies were originally formed about four or five years ago by Betty Windsor.

“We had a small group that met at Roxie’s when Roxie’s was at High Meadows’ Restaurant,” Ebright said. “Then, things just sort of died away for the winter. A lot of people went to Florida. We have always wanted to do another one.”

Ebright and friends Barbara Phillips and Jo Seagle began attending Red Hat meetings in Galax, Va. until they decided to start the Mountain Blossoms about two or three years ago.

“At our first meeting, we had three people,” Ebright said. “At our second meeting, we had maybe four or five; and then at our next meeting, we had 25 ladies. The word got out. We meet once a month. Our meeting is on the fourth Wednesday of the month, wherever we decide to go. We ask for locations, wherever someone has in mind and that’s the way we plan our meeting. It’s just grown from there, people have heard about it and want to get involved.” The Mountain Blossoms currently have about 15 or 16 active members of the 21 on the roster.

“At meetings, we eat, meet and have fun,” Ebright said. Places the group has gone to include the Barter Theater and the Shelton Winery. “We eat and go shopping sometimes,” she said. “We’ve been to the Broyhill Inn and we’d shop in Boone and go out to eat. It’s a fun group; there are really no rules.”

The Mountain Blossoms have participated in recent parades, including the 2005 July 4th parade and most recently, the club had a float in the Christmas parade.

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back