After attending an international festival celebrating redheads, a Summerside woman experienced how red hair transcends race and culture.
Peggy Miles attended Redhead Days in the Netherlands last September and wanted to bring a taste of her experience back home.
She started the P.E.I. Redhead Club Facebook group a few years ago and used the platform to promote an event she organized at Samuel’s Coffee House for this Friday.
The P.E.I. Redhead Gathering, which takes place May 11 from 6 to 8 p.m., will feature a photo booth with props, prize giveaways and the documentary screening of “Redhead Days, Biggest Redhead Festival in the World,” in which Miles makes a brief appearance.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time — have a club and have different events,” she said. “Red hair crosses all boundaries and cultures and races, and it’s just a celebration of that — that we all share this trait, this common bond.”
The international festival, held annually in Breda, Netherlands, was founded in 2005 by Dutch artist, Bart Rouwenhorst, who was looking to do a project featuring redheads. He put out a call looking for 15 redheads and received more than 150 responses.
Since then, the festival has grown.
When Miles attended in 2017, more than 6,000 redheads from 80 different countries came together and shared stories with one another.
“What I learned was the activities are fun and they are great, but it’s really just about getting out with other redheads,” she said. “The togetherness of it was really nice and that was really the most important part.”
Moyna Matheson, owner and operator of Samuel’s Coffee House, said guests can expect special redhead-themed drinks and snacks.
“I know we’re going to use Anne’s Raspberry Cordial, so we’re probably going to do (something) like a red rocking frappe type-of-thing,” she said. “And we’re doing ginger sparkle cookies that are being served with all the drinks, complimentary.”
Matheson said she was amazed at the amount of interest already being shown for the event.
“It’s getting interest from people who don’t even live here who are saying they’d go if they were here.”
The event is open to the public at no charge, and Miles encourages everyone to attend.
“It is completely inclusive, so if there are non-redheads that are interested in coming, they’re welcomed as well.”
For more information, check out the P.E.I. Redhead Gathering event page on Facebook.
