Queen Debbie of the Lake, of Chic ‘n Sassy (chapter 10248, Kenora, ON, Canada), and Queen “B” Pattie, of the Red Hat Rippers (chapter 26375, Fort Frances, ON, Canada), invite all official individual members and members of officially registered chapters of the Red Hat Society to join them in Kenora for a gala celebration of International Red Hat Day, beginning at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 25, 2009. This will be a “minivention” including a Red Hat Craft Fair, a Festive Banquet, a Pyjama Breakfast, and much more.
Registrations must be received by March 16. Space is limited to 200 so be sure to register early and avoid disappointment.
The cost will be $75 per person. This is non refundable but if anyone registers and then finds she can’t attend she is welcome to have someone else come in her place.
This event will take place at the Best Western Lakeside Inn in Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
There is a large block of rooms set aside for Saturday night and some for Friday as well for those who wish to come early and attend the Home Show. It is wise to reserve early. You can do so by calling 1-800-465-1120 and quote “4786 Red Hat Celebration”.
Rooms are $114 + tax. Each room has either 2 double beds or 2 queen sized beds. The hotel has only 11 cots but these can be rented for $10 + tax per night. There is no extra charge per person but if you wish a view of the lake it costs an extra $20 + tax.
A really great coincidence is that Kenora’s Home Show will be on that weekend, too, right across the street from the Best Western. Some ladies might like to come early or stay on Sunday afternoon to take in this event as well.
Every chapter attending is asked to design and make a special hat to illustrate the name of their chapter. Please see the guidelines for this below. These hats will be used for a contest on Saturday and judged on Sunday.
Each chapter is also asked to nominate one of their members as a model for our fashion show. There are no age, size, or shape qualifications for this, just a great attitude and sense of fun. Individual members are welcome to model, too.
Please note that this is a special event to celebrate the anniversary of the beginning of the Red Hat Society and all ladies attending will be required to wear official Red Hat attire. To quote Sue Ellen Cooper in an issue of “Red Hatter Matters” last spring. In answer to the question, “Do I really have to wear a Red or Pink Hat and colours to every event?” she answered,
“Every RHS member is expected to wear her colours at all official events: purple with a red hat for those who have achieved 50 years or more and lavender with a pink hat for those ladies-in-waiting under 50. Any shade of “our” colours is fine. No uniforms here.. ..no way!”
A few members say they find any hat uncomfortable and the best answer is, “As long as you have red on your head it counts,” meaning a red bow or some red feathers pinned in your hair is just fine.
And, of course, we can, if we wish, reverse our colours in our birthday month.
Here’s the schedule for our celebration
1) We’ll begin at 2 p.m. with our Red Hat Craft Fair. Many Red Hatters are crafters and most of them enjoy making items of interest to other Red Hatters. Any participants who are crafters are invited to bring their crafts to sell at our fair. If you’d like to do so, simply read the conditions for doing so on the registration form and sign to show that you accept them.
2) Crafters will be asked to pack up at about 4:30 p.m. Then there will be a break until dinner so that everyone can either relax or visit with new and old friends. During this time there will be a special contest running.
3) At 6 p.m. we will gather for our Banquet and an evening of entertainment. This will not be a lengthy program so those who like to retire early may do so and the rest of us can continue to visit.
(A cash bar will be available Saturday afternoon and evening.)
4) At 9 a.m. Sunday morning, we will gather again for our Pyjama Breakfast and another short program before everyone heads for home.
We look forward to seeing many old friends and making many new ones at this special celebration.
Guidelines for Chapter Hat
1) The hat must, of course, be red and must be decorated primarily in red and/or purple.
2) None of the following may appear on the hat: chapter name, chapter location, names or pictures of any chapter members.
3) The hat must be delivered to the hostesses at the beginning of the minivention well wrapped so that no one can see any of its details. If possible its size should be camouflaged as well. Please be sure there’s a note inside the package telling which chapter it belongs to.
4) Only the members of your chapter should know which hat is yours and they must not tell anyone else.
5) Prizes will be awarded in several categories including best depiction of chapter name, most elegant, most casual, etc.
Craft Fair Conditions
Each participating crafter must agree to the following conditions:
1) There will be no fee for taking part in this fair. However, each participating crafter is required to supply a door prize of her own making, minimum value $10. Please note that this is one prize from each crafter, not from each table.
2) Each participating crafter should arrive early enough to have her wares displayed and ready for sale by 2 p.m. Sat., Apr. 25.
3) Each crafter will be provided with half of an 8-foot table to display her wares. This space may be shared by not more than 2 crafters. However, if 4 or more members of a chapter wish to exhibit their crafts together, a full table will be provided.
4) Each crafter may display and sell only her own work. No sales for companies such as Pampered Chef, Avon, etc. will be allowed.
5). A minimum of 50% of each crafter’s merchandise must be in some way related to Red Hatting. (This can be as simple as making sure items are red and/or purple.)
6) The Best Western Hotel, its staff, and the hostesses take no responsibility for missing or damaged merchandise.
For more information about this event,
email kenoraredhatters@yahoo.ca
