Quality Control The Kitsap Peninsula Queen's Council knew that 99 Red Hatters-representing 18 different chapters-would be arriving soon to celebrate the Red Hat Society's 10^th Birthday, and they wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly. Of course, this meant "testing" all the games first: Queen Pat scored quickly, and Queen Rosalie confirmed that the mask and nose for "Pin the nose on the Clown" were satisfactory. Ladies, did you remember to taste-test all the treats, too? Chef's privilege!

Fore! The RHS 10^th Birthday was a "swinging" day for the Dixie Delights of Mount Juliet, Tennessee; they spent the day at the local miniature golf course. These ladies love the idea of eating dessert first, so they spread their goodies on a royal purple cloth and enjoyed the anticipation as they played a round of golf. A candy bouquet was presented to Princess Delightful Laughter as the winner, and the "last place winner," Princess Dixie Heart and Soul, was presented with a "Dimeone" award: a dime, glued onto a safety pin! Queen Brenda wrote, "Go Red Hat Society! Thank you ladies who founded this amazing way to go out, dress up in purple and red, and have fun."

That's the Way They Roll The host of a chartered bus got a bit of a surprise when he met the ladies who boarded his bus. The Red Hat Chicks of Canyon Lake, Texas, celebrated the Birthday by taking a trip to Kinder, Louisiana. After clambering aboard in their red hats, they presented their host, Cliff, with a feathered visor to wear! Keep on truckin', ladies!

All Dolled Up The Mad Hatters of the Bruce, in Ontario, Canada, were RED-y to celebrate the RHS 10^th Birthday-they had prepared a special song and dance number ("Hello, Dolly!") for a local party, created special costumes, and dubbed themselves The Dancing Dollies. But lo and behold, when they arrived at the hotel they discovered that a mistake had been made, and there was no room set aside for them! Fortunately, a nearby restaurant opened their doors, and the Hatters gleefully continued their celebration. The show must go on, after all!

Hawaiian Happenings What do Red Hatters do to celebrate? Anything they want, of course! The Na Ula Papale Pele (Red Hat Bell Ladies) of Kailua, Hawaii, spent the day walking around the Chinatown section of Honolulu. They enjoyed seeing the historic buildings, and bought lots of new food to try: manapua (a sweet-filled doughnut) and sashimi (raw tuna, intended to be served over grated white radish) were amongst the delicacies the ladies took home. Just to keep things interesting, they ate lunch at a local Cuban restaurant. Now that's diversity!

Purple Prizes? The Bodacious Belles, the Red Hat Grannies, the Red Hot YaYas, the Red Hat Hotties, and Odessa Red Hot Hatters, from the Midland/Odessa area in Texas, all congregated at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate. To encourage everyone to wear the reversed birthday colors, every Hatter who showed up in a purple hat was entered in a drawing for a Red Hat Society 10^th Birthday pin; those without purple hats were entered into a drawing to win one! After a great meal and distributing door prizes, the chapter gathered around the fountain for a picture. The other diners were delighted to see so many colorful women!

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily The Fen Fatales of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England, celebrated Red Hat Society Day by taking a river cruise aboard the Boston Belle. The rain was pouring down, but that didn't dampen these free spirits! They had a lovely time aboard the boat, and warmed up afterwards with scones and cream, cakes, and lot of hot tea and coffee.