Ten women from north central Iowa with red hats on their heads convened in Des Moines for the past couple of days, attracting a lot of attention at the statehouse. Representative Dolores Mertz invited the women to the capitol. She’s part of the group of ten, as is Alice Smith of Algona. They’re “The Red Hat Mommas.” Smith says the “society” has been growing in the past 20 years. Algona has four such clubs. About six-thousand have sprung up around the country. Peg Wildin of Algona says there are just three prerequisites for membership: wear a red hat, purple dress and have fun. The group of ten “Red Hat Mommas” from Algona toured the capitol and “visited a little of the Des Moines night life” this week. Marge Kramer of Algona says they “attracted an awful lot of attention” with their red hats. Dolores Thilges says their club formed a year ago, and at first it was hard to find purple and red stuff. Dolores says now, she sees purple and red clothing everywhere. Dolores was sporting a pretty wild purple and red scarf as part of her “Red Hat Momma” outfit. The group meets once a month; each member takes a turn planning the outings. They say no matter what they’ve done, they’ve always had a good time.
