ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Going to Buffalo Bills games is more than just watching football — it’s an experience. You’ll find plenty of colorful characters who show their passion with often outrageous outfits, almost always clad in red white and blue. 

Hats worn by members of the Water Buffalo Club 716 are more than just a fashion statement. 

Modeled after Fred Flintstone and his buddy Barney, Therese Forton-Barnes is the Grand Poobah of a growing group of Bills fans in the club geared toward a fun, family-friendly football experience. They even have a golf cart dressed up to mimic a cavemobile from the cartoon show. 

"[Hall of Fame Bills Quarterback] Jim Kelly even told me, ’T, great idea.’ A lot of people said 'I can’t believe somebody didn’t think of this before.' It was sort of a fluke a little bit," said Forton-Barnes.

You can spot members of the club, now nearing 5,000 strong, wearing their Water Buffalo hats on Bills gamedays, and some big names have joined in the fun.

"A lot of celebrities around the country that just adore the hat. Mary Wilson said the hats are adorable. Marv Levy said we should wear them every day," Forton-Barnes said.

Most of the hats are made right in Western New York, many by three refugee women in partnership with Stitch Buffalo, a not-for-profit organization. People Therese is proud to help through the Water Buffalo Club.

"They’re master sewers. I showed them a pattern and they didn’t even need the pattern. They knew exactly what to do. Each one is a piece of work and each woman puts a prayer in each hat," she said. 

Therese has been a Bills fan since she was a kid when her dad took her to games when the team played at the Old Rockpile (War Memorial Stadium) in Buffalo in the 1960s and 70s. She's been tailgating next to the Big Tree Inn in Orchard Park before attending games since the late 1980s.

"Diehard football just because I love it and I think it’s in my blood," she said.

Over the years in her role as an event planner, she’s created friendships with legends like Jim Kelly and Steve Tasker, even ESPN’s Chris Berman, who gives her Super Bowl tickets every year. She’s been through all the ups and downs with the Bills, waiting for that moment when they bring home the big one. 

"And to win something like, it would be a lot of tears. And those tears would be representative of all Buffalo Bills fans," she said. 

It's a grand goal for the Grand Poobah of Buffalo’s Water Buffalo Club 716. 

If you’d like to join the Water Buffalo Club or purchase a hat, head to waterbuffaloclub716.com, or find them at their tailgate parties at the Big Tree Inn in Orchard Park.