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This article was originally posted on wincityvoices.org.

Have you heard of the “Mrs. Roper Romp?” I had not, until recently. 

According to the Mrs. Roper Romp website, the event “started as a group of 50 in New Orleans ten years ago when they walked in the Southern Decadence parade. Now it’s a worldwide phenomenon! People are organizing events all over the globe and we hope the Mrs. Roper community continues to grow!”

Men and women dress as the character from the 1970s television sitcom Three’s Company. Mrs. Roper, portrayed by actor Audra Lindley (1918–1997), was famous for her flamboyant wardrobe and her personality, described on Wikipedia as “wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled and sexually frustrated.” 

Winchester resident Brett Cheuvront had the idea to host a local romp, and he approached Mason Rhodus, owner of Mason on Main, to help out. They floated the idea on Facebook and were encouraged by the response, so they decided to plunge in. 

The local event will take place at The Hall on Saturday, April 20, starting at 7 PM. Just for the one night, The Hall will be renamed The Regal Beagle, which was the name of the pub where the Three’s Company gang hung out. 

The events vary, but Cheuvront says he has no detailed plans for Winchester’s inaugural Roper Romp. He says there will be food available, as well as drinks with “special names” related to the show. “It will be a time to meet, and have fun,” he says. 

Rhodus describes the event as “something fun for the adults.”

While the events are held all over the US and in other parts of the world, Kentucky has only one, in Louisville, according to Cheuvront. “We want to get started here in Winchester before Lexington does.” 

They have tentative plans to walk in the Christmas parade this year, according to Rhodus. “Maybe . . . ” says Cheuvront.