On Saturday, the local chapter of Temecula Roper Romp women took to the streets of Old Town, overtaking restaurants to recreate the Regal Beagle and bring a bit of fun and fanaticism to the day.
If you’ve never seen or heard of this national phenomenon, you’re not alone.
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We were so amazed that we had to learn more about this group of orange wig-wearing, turquoise necklace-draped, kaftan-attired women who, for one afternoon and evening, took over Old Town Temecula. Now that we know about them, we’re obsessed.
“Temecula had its 2nd official Mrs. Roper Romp this past Saturday,” Diane Chiang told Patch. “Such fun! We had four official stops on our Romp, each of which became the honorary Regal Beagle during our visit.”
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The first Mrs. Roper Romp event was held in October, a national thing, she says. While the Temecula Roper Romp group is new, with about 300 members now, there are far larger gatherings on the East Coast, she says. Indeed, the original Facebook Group has over 70,000 members.
“There’s one Roper Romp group in Pennsylvania that has around 2,500 members,” Chiang said. “When they go anywhere, there’s just a mass of bright orange wigs, colorful kaftans, and a lot of laughter.”
This weekend, the 30 or so Mrs. Ropers gathered at Texas Lil’s on Old Town Front Street. Each stop was recreated as the famed “Regal Beagle” hangout from the Three’s Company show.
Texas Lil’s offered us the Chrissy shot and Helen drink, in honor of the show. Stonechurch Brewing and Kalaveras Restaurant both participated, as did Bailey’s Old Town Front Street, she said.
“Each business had a little something for us,” from no cover charge to a special drink or menu item,” she said. “The list of participating bars and restaurants is getting bigger and better all the time.”
From there, the gang hit the streets, dressed in vibrant kaftans, bright red wigs, enormous 70s-style sunglasses, ready to enjoy their Roper-esque outing.
“We went amok in Old Town,” she laughed. Cars drove by, honking at the flurry of orange-haired women parading down the sidewalks of the busy shopping district.
“I loved the idea of seeing the Roper Romps on Facebook, and that’s what I’ve planned for us, here in Temecula.” She’s grown a smaller Facebook group of moms and ladies across Riverside County, who would leave special “boo-ze” gifts for each other during COVID.
“We would ding-dong ditch baskets of booze and snacks,” she said. “I made so many friends during lockdown. When I asked them if they wanted to change things up and become a Mrs. Roper Romp group, it grew from there!”
Now, the Temecula Roper Romp Facebook group is the perfect place to meet up, share photos, and plan their next adventure, date to be determined.
When asked about what it was that made them want to join the national group that recreates Audra Lindley’s famous Helen Roper character, she had this to say:
“Her character was so iconic. The others were just average young adults doing their thing, but Mrs. Roper owned her look, was snarky, and didn’t care about having a martini in the middle of the day!” she laughed. “This is an ideal group for GenX women looking for something fun to do and make some new friends along the way.”
The group was spotted from above, videoed by a drone, and also captured by numerous onlookers, who then tagged it across social media.
The bartender at the new Pamec Winery, just opened in Old Town, which the Roper group swears has a “distinctive Palm Springs vibe,” shared his view of several Mrs. Ropers who dropped by for a quick cocktail on their parade through town.
Under Chiang’s planning, the Ropers get together about twice a year. Their goal is to “get out and have fun and spread some smiles.”
When she isn’t dressing up as the iconic character, she is an amateur cake decorator and the mom of a teenager — even more reason to plan and gather ideal Roper costume pieces throughout the year in preparation for the next event.
“I’m your typical Temecula housewife,” Chaing says. “Lots of us are. But when we get together, we spend time hanging out, being carefree, just like Helen Roper.”
When we asked what Mr. Roper might think of all of this, she said: “I’m not sure what he’d be thinking, but I know what look he’d give!”
