Stars on her sweater and on her ears, but nothing compares to the star she is! A Renaissance gal and New England Patriots Fan of the Year, Karen Hourigan, met me and my golden retriever, Sassie, in her front yard. Immediately electrified, we entered her warm cozy home for three charged hours of fascinating facts about Karen’s star-studded life. Busying herself providing magazines, newspaper clippings and a barrage of New England Patriot photos, the Rhode Island native never sat down the first hour we talked. The mother of four and grandmother of 10, Karen bounced from table to huge memorabilia box, her famous sparkly red, white and blue hat struggling to maintain its spot on her perky, snow white head. Breathlessly, she related her thrilling journey to the title of “Flag Lady” and winner of New England Patriot’s Fan of the Year award. “It all started with this sweater,” she said as she pointed to the stars. “I retrieved it from a pile of sweaters and thought it was a bit crazy, but it appealed to my patriotism. For fun, I bought it and wore it to the next Pats' game. Subsequently, someone gave me this (laughing, she tipped her glittering hat). People started noticing my patriotic game attire, including Patriots’ owner, Bob Kraft. I hoped it encouraged our team. Once, when he stopped by our seats, he told me he liked my outfit and it would be our good luck outfit!”