Extending out the door and curling down the hallway, the line of Greenspring residents waited to meet their soon-to-be-famous calendar stars.
A dozen women from the retirement community have taken fund raising into their own hands, posing with strategically placed props for their Ladies of Greenspring Village calendar, inspired by the movie "Calendar Girls."
In the movie, a group of middle-aged women decide to pose mostly nude to raise money for a good cause. Greenspring resident Fran Duvall said it was a conversation about the movie during a cocktail party that inspired their event.
"The money we raise from the sales of the calendars will go to Greenspring’s Benevolent Fund to help people in financial need," Duvall said during the unveiling of the calendar on Tuesday, Dec.4.
The women of the hour were seated at a long table, clad in black turtlenecks and bright pink feather boas, signing their pages of the glossy calendar and hugging their fans.
Using a female photographer and a printing press run by women helped the models feel more comfortable showing their skin, Duvall said.
With more than 1,200 calendars pre-ordered before the release party and about 5,000 printed for the women, all signs point to the calendar being a huge success, said Kimberly Nelson, chair of the Benevolent Fund.
"We think this is just awesome," Nelson said. "These ladies are just great."
Greenspring resident Eck Muessig purchased two copies of the calendar, which he plans to give to his sons-in-law for Christmas.
"This is just marvelous," Muessig said, flipping through the pages. "It’s a great idea."
Nelson said she heard one man say he had new respect for the guitar after seeing one woman posing behind a guitar and wearing nothing but a smile.
Paul Bishop stopped by to pick up five calendars, which he also planned to give as gifts.
"These ladies are having a great time and they did a wonderful job," he said. "I ordered a calendar for my parents, who are about the same age as the residents here."
Eva Freund said the calendars were inspiring.
"What people forget is that on the outside they may look older, but inside they feel 40, 50, 60-years old," she said.
Duvall said she and the other women involved in the calendar are hoping to encourage the men of Greenspring to do their own calendar for 2009, with the staff to follow suit in 2010.