8 retirees headed to Poland to see Taylor Swift: 'We're in our golden era'
They never go out of style.
Eight women living in the same retirement community, The Villages, Florida, are heading to Warsaw, Poland, to "Shake It Off" at Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour.
Barbara O'Hare, Donna Brownell, Vicki Dinou, Elaine Helstrom, Margaret Barton, Lisa Kaplan, Lyn MacGuire, and Dorice Kreinbring – who range in age from 64 to 75 – said their trip of a lifetime was planned at their weekly "Martini Monday" night in their singles community.
Barton, 75, told the group how much she loved seeing Swift last June with her daughter and granddaughter in Detroit, Michigan.
"The enormity of it just blew me away. Everybody's dressed…everybody's so nice, everybody's changing bracelets," Barton said. "It just moved me so much how much that woman can create for the whole world."
Barton told her friends that she wanted them to experience the concert as well and told them she was going to look for the cheapest, best tickets anywhere in the world.
"We thought it was the martinis talking," Dinou said. "But sure enough, 30 minutes later, she called me and said, 'I found the tickets, they're fabulous seats, and we're going to Warsaw, Poland.'"
The group is heading across the pond to Poland on July 29 and will attend the concert on August 1. They'll stay in Poland until August 7 to do other activities like sightseeing, vodka tastings, and cooking classes.
Barton informed her friends that the entire trip – flights, concert tickets, hotels, and more – would be her treat.
"I cried. I just couldn't believe it," Helstrom said. "It's overwhelming that someone can be so generous from the bottom of her heart…It's most unselfish act of kindness and generosity that I've ever had."
Since the trip was booked in February, "Martini Mondays" have now been changed to "Taylor Tuesdays." The group made shirts with their faces printed inside the Eras Tour logo that they would wear to the concert and on the plane. They'll also be sporting friendship bracelets and pink water bottles that say "Swiftie" on them to the show. Barton said they even got the group a professional songbook to study Swift's songs.
The group says their favorite Swift songs include: "Anti-Hero," "Karma," "Shake It Off," and, of course, "The Man."
"I think it's going to be very inspiring," Barton said. "I'm very excited to share this with everybody. I think it means more to me than it does to them."
The group says they're very excited to experience the Eras Tour concert together and although they've traveled together in the past – they feel this experience will be a special one.
"We were all very close friends to start out with and this has brought us even closer like a sisterhood," MacGuire said.
"This is the Eras Tour…we're in our golden era," Helstrom said.
