FAIRHOPE, Ala. — In a departure from the usual art exhibits, the Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship will have a special exhibit of vintage hats, along with graphics and advertising of the period illustrating models wearing hats.

The opening reception will be on Saturday, Jan. 16, from 3-5 p.m., and the exhibit will continue until March 18.

The hats to be exhibited are from the collections of two members of the fellowship, Jule Moon and Debbie Norris and from that of Lea Fox of Mobile.

Most of the hats are from the 1930s through the 1960s. The hats will be hung or placed on hat stands, which will make for an interesting and colorful show.

The hats which will be displayed are beautiful in themselves, and invite memories of those worn by ourselves, our mothers, and our grandmothers during a time when women would not attend weddings, church, or even go shopping without a hat.

Some vintage gloves will be displayed along with the hats, as those were equally indispensable.

The exhibit represents a more formal time, one for which some are nostalgic and for others represents an era of social restrictions from which they are delighted to be free.

Join the Fellowship in reminiscing about an era not long past, but very different from today.

It is hoped that those attending the reception will wear hats of any vintage, old or new, in order to add to the festivities.

The Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship is located at 1150 Fairhope Ave., across from the Baldwin County Satellite Courthouse.

The opening reception will feature the Gulf Coast Hammer Jammers and Friends, as well as delicious refreshments by Joyce Burkhart.

As always, the public is warmly welcomed.

For more information, e-mail the Fellowship at fairhopeunitarian@att.net.