Was it an Easter Parade? No, the sea of flowery hats that looked like Easter of yesteryear was only one small portion of the array of hats on the heads of Maple Crest residents gathered on April 10 for the most recent "New Resident Welcome" event called "Hats Off to You!"

Residents arrived decked out in hats and caps of every kind, from cowboy hats to baseball caps to homemade head-gear. The bulk of the homemade hats (for both men and women) was assembled by Maple Crest residents at a March craft day, with assistance by a talented volunteer duo, Joyce Barga of Ada, and Betty Burkholder of Bluffton.

Armed with hot glue guns, feathers, flowers, fruits, and beads, Barga and Burkholder exceeded everyone's expectations and enabled the creation of the best-looking hats of the season.

Other hats of the day: The oldest hat, with a big black plume, was stylishly sported by Sally Reeder, and turned out to have belonged to her great-grandmother, who died in 1855.

One of the most unique hats was designed for the occasion by Mary Ann Kooker -- a hat-washing frame entwined with flowers and a Hawaiian leis.

Pearl Williamson's hat fit across her hair like a wide headband, and was handmade long ago (by herself) out of pheasant feathers from a pheasant her husband had hunted.

Darrel Kirkendall came "incognito," wearing one of the Barga/Burkholder sharp-looking top hats made out of a brown paper sack on top of a multi-colored wig of curly hair, with a large plastic nose attached to a pair of glasses.

Hanging from Floyd Hartman's red cap was the prize-winning ribbon he won with the cap in a tractor pull. A delicate ivory hat, which once belonged to her mother, adorned the head of Lucille Bucher.

And, so it went, hat after hat had a story, beginning with the history of Gladys Simmons' winter ladies' hat which seemed to be a magically-returning one, no matter how many times it was lost.

The purpose of all this finery (besides the sheer fun of it) was to officially welcome in the newest residents at Maple Crest - Jack and Glenna McCullough.

Adding to the "ceremony" of the occasion was the performance of several piano pieces by eighth-grader Maggie Fett, great-niece of Maple Crest resident Dorothy Williams, and daughter of Bob and Sue Fett of Bluffton.

No one was surprised to learn that the Debussy composition Maggie played with feeling won her a superior rating at the most recent Solo and Ensemble Contest. The surprise ending to the party was a spontaneous German rendition of the song "My Hat, It has Three Corners," sung by resident Carl Wolf.