Barrington hat maker embraces ‘old west’

BARRINGTON – Some of Paul Siracusa’s best work comes at two or three in the morning.

That time of night brings less distraction and higher creativity sitting at the same kitchen table he has worked at since 1975.

“There’s a really strong, powerful relationship I have with this table,” the Barrington resident said.

Siracusa was selected as this year’s featured artist in Barrington Park District’s Showcase of the Arts. Siracusa has designed hats – mostly cowboy hats – since 1975, and added bracelets to his work about six years ago. The bracelets are similar to the hat bands he designs.

“My influences come from watching Westerns in the 50s and going out to Colorado and visiting the dude ranches in the summers as a child,” Siracusa said. “Everybody my age watched ‘Bonanza,’ ‘Rawhide,’ and ‘Maverick.’ ”

Siracusa grew up in Barrington Hills and is an alumnus of Barrington High School. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in archeology. Although he lived away from the area for awhile, he has been back in Barrington since the late 1990s.

“Being an archaeologist, I wore a cowboy hat out in Colorado all the time,” he said, adding that’s when he started reading up on hat makers.

When he started in the business, there weren’t many Western stores in the Midwest, Siracusa said. Although he had a store on the Woodstock Square for several years, he closed up shop in May 1984 and has worked out of his home since. The Cripple Creek Hat Company is now online at cripplecreekheadwear.com.

“I wanted to make a hat that would knock people’s socks off and make a statement,” Siracusa said. “They made a presence and a lot of entertainers gravitated to what I was doing, especially musicians.”

Among those musicians who gravitated toward Siracusa include Willie Nelson, Elton John and Ringo Starr.

“Willie Nelson was a very gracious person,” Siracusa said. “He bought several hats from me over the years.”

It wasn’t just musicians who sought Siracusa out, though. He designed a hat for Burt Reynolds, who was featured on an album cover, that resided in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

Siracusa also assisted in designing wardrobe apparel for movies such as “Smokey and the Bandit II” and “The Untouchables.”

The hat designer acknowledged the pressure associated with working on such high-profile movies and designing hats for beloved characters.

“The more you wear a hat, it becomes a part of them,” he said. “It’s an extension of their personality.”

Everything on Siracusa’s hats and bracelets are made in America. All of the hats are hand-shaped, and since Siracusa works on each piece individually, everything he creates is one of a kind.

“I just focus on quality and the skilled craftsmanship I use in all my work,” he said.

The Barrington Park District’s Showcase of the Arts is the only Art Show Siracusa does. About 70 artists will display their work. Admission to the event is free.

“We’ve been doing this for 12 years and we continue running it because we have a passion for the arts and want to do it for the community,” said Barbara Thompson, recreation services coordinator, who organizes the event with office manager Kathy Walker. “It’s really a very mixed media show and that’s what we try to do every year.”

This will be Siracusa’s second year at the show.

“I want to introduce my hats to a whole new generation,” he said. “I’m staying here, doing what I am doing, for a whole new generation.”