FOR OVER twenty years, the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown has been hosting hat shows that have become a major annual event in Guyana, attracting hundreds of visitors each year at the Promenade Gardens.This year’s Annual Hat Show and Garden Party is slated for Saturday, April 26, 2014; and the main attraction, as the name suggests, is a hat competition for children and adults in the three categories of elegant, topical, and original.

In the past, the colourful and elegant designs have stood out in particular, but the original and topical hats make a lasting impression, according to the organisers.

The organizers say hats were displayed in the past to raise awareness about topics such as inadequate housing by volunteers of Habitat for Humanity, and one regular contestant, when she was in her 80s, had depicted the deplorable state of Georgetown, which has been induced by ‘garbage overflow’.

Registration for the competition is done on the day of the show, and contestants are required to attend early to be registered by 14:30 hrs. Organisers noted at a small press conference yesterday that male contestants are still in the minority, and they think this category of participant may need a special invitation and encouragement to participate.

Visitors can also look forward to having delicious tea served at the ‘Tea Stall’. As usual, there will be various other booths, including a Book Stall; while games and a “sweet and savoury” stall will be available.

Music for the event will, as is customary, be provided by the Guyana Police Force Band, who will be installed in the Promenade Gardens Band Stand as the Hat Competition progresses.

History
The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown is a charitable organisation that raises funds in order to make an impact in the lives of the less fortunate.

Through scholarships for young adults seeking training in the fields of education and medicine, and by participating in community development activities that benefit children and the elderly, as well as by spreading cheer on festive occasions, the club goes about fulfilling its mission.

The Annual Hat Show and Garden Party held at the Promenade Gardens on Easter Saturday is the club’s largest fund-raising event. Entrance fee has been set at $200, while children under eight years old will be admitted free of charge. Tea will be made available for a contribution of $1500, which includes the entrance fee.

Today, the International Inner Wheel Club has over 100,000 members located in 3,895 clubs in more than 100 countries worldwide. The work of this club started in 1924 when the wives of Rotarians sought to assist their husbands in fund-raising efforts towards Rotary projects. The Inner Wheel International Club was formed in 1967, and while Inner Wheel Clubs continue to support Rotary, they also have their own projects.

The Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown, chartered on March 16, 1985, recently celebrated twenty-nine years of service, and still has active members like Charter President Maylene Davis, who has served from inception of the club.

To mark this year’s anniversary, and in keeping with its theme, “We for Women”, current President Aretha Campbell made a presentation on behalf of the organisation to assist Help and Shelter.

On March 28, 2014, representatives from eleven special schools located in Linden, New Amsterdam, Grove and Georgetown gathered at the National Park where they received gifts from the Inner Wheel Club of Georgetown.

The National Park Playground is one of the organisation’s more visible projects.
By Alex Wayne