Clockwise bottom (r) to top (l)) Stanley, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, Helen, and Stanley.
Their ages range from their 20s to 70s. Their occupations – gardener, marketing consultant, firefighter, switchboard operator – are just as varied. But just try to tell them apart when you see them strolling downtown in bright wigs and brighter caftans when they all transform into Helens.
As in Helen Roper, the nosy Three’s Company neighbor who, despite being a staple of television over forty years ago, is as popular today as she was in the 1970s. That’s because of the Roper Romps that have spread from the deep south to the far corners of the U.S. and beyond since its New Orleans inception over ten years ago.
Hot Springs chapter creator Alana Pierce, who along with friend Tracy Albrecht captained Hot Springs’ only all-female kickball team a few years earlier, was looking for something new and woman-driven in Hot Springs. “This was perfect for us. We’re a bunch of middle and older women bonding over the shared nostalgia of chunky jewelry, flowery dresses, and a silliness that the Helen character embodied.”
The city’s chapter, aptly named the International Society of Mrs. Ropers: Spa City Helens is Arkansas’s second chapter (Central Arkansas created the first, just two months ahead of Hot Springs). Pierce said what started out as an idea misunderstood by many of her own friends has evolved into a large group of eclectic women from all walks of life and occasional “Stanleys,” the men who accompany them dressed as Stanley Roper or the Don Knotts character, Mr. Furley.
Since the summer of 2023, Spa City Helens have attended Gallery Walks and bingo games, taken strolls downtown, met for dinner and drinks, and even visited the Selfie Studio at Spencer’s Corner.
Their next events take place July 5 and July 14. Helens, Stanleys, and Mr. Furleys are welcome to join the fun. For more information, visit their pages on Facebook: International Order of Mrs. Ropers – Hot Springs Arkansas and Instagram: HotSpringsHelens.
