DECATUR - Red hats of fur, felt, sequins, flowers and netted-type material helped brighten up the Decatur Rehabilitation and Health Care Center on the west side of town.

Lee Burnett, a resident at the center, came scooting through on his walker and yelled excitedly, "Where's those Red Hat Mamas?"

That drew laughter from those who gathered in the dining room area of the health care center for the Valentine's Day Party thrown by the Red Hat Mamas, a chapter of the Red Hat Society.

The Red Hat Mamas had all the tables decorated with red-heart shaped napkins. They scooped up sherbet onto plates, along with cupcakes and candy and passed them out to the residents.

Some of the women even pushed a cart filled with plates of the treats down hallways, stopping at each room to make sure those residents who didn't make it to the dining room also could enjoy the Valentine feast.

One resident, Betty Brackett, might have been wheelchair-bound, but she wasn't about to miss out on all the fun. She sat at a table in the dining room and scraped the last remaining drop of sherbet from her plate.

"It's a very nice thing for them to do this; we were expecting them to entertain us or something. Instead, they turned this into a wingding of a party," she said.

Walter Moore is considered the celebrity resident at the health care center. He was a well-known blues musician in Chicago during the 1960s. He also played at a few places in Decatur, he said. His band was called, The Walter Moore Blues Band.

Moore's face lit up when he got a chance to do some singing with the Red Hat Mamas, who played kazoos and led a number of songs: "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

"He has a really good voice when we do karaoke," said activity director Kathy Walters, as she stood beside Moore in his wheelchair.

"The fact that Valentine's Day is coming up, it was perfect that the Red Hat Mamas wanted to do this," she added. "Having activities like this helps to boost the residents' morale."

Betty Soler, the queen Red Hat Mama, tried to keep everyone in harmony as she led most of the songs.

Soler said the group meets once a month for lunch.

"One of our members said she thought there was more to the Red Hats than just meeting for lunch. We usually try to do fun things and certainly consider this fun in being able to bring some happiness to the lives of others," she said.

The Red Hat Society's mission is to have fun. The spirit of the organization forbids any rules with the exception that you have to be a woman older than 50.

The national Red Hat Society was founded in April 1998 in Fullerton, Calif., after a group of women gallantly dressed in purple clothing and wore red hats met for afternoon tea. Now more than 40,000 chapters exist in the United States, and Decatur has about 12 chapters.

Other Red Hat Mamas who helped with the Valentine's Party at the Decatur Rehabilitation and Health Care Center included, Carolyn Daugherty, Loretta Taylor, Pat Clark, Nancy Bowman, Judy Zimmerman, Sheri Moon, Becky Basil, Alice Yokley, Sally Ballinger and Elaine Mason.

Sheila Smith can be reached at sheilas@herald-review.com or 421-7963.