Once or twice a month, Mayor Dirk Burton of West Jordan gains a new hat to add to his collection. 

Burton’s hat collection has reached a total of 550 hats, ranging from silly animal hats that flap their wings, stylish fedoras,West Jordan City ball caps, hats with a bird nest, light bulb, stars and more. 

You name it, he probably has a hat like that. 

It all started with a fedora gifted to him by his wife, who Burton said is supportive of the growing collection more than 35 years later. 

Since then, neighbors, friends and family have gifted him homemade and store bought hats that make them think of him. 

Burton’s hats are his way of connecting with people. 

He wears the hats for all different occasions like cheering up kids at the hospital in a Mickey Mouse hat, reading to kids The Cat in the Hat in his red and white striped top hat or on a private parade with his 11 (almost 12) grandchildren on a Sunday afternoon.

“That's kind of what I like to do, is make people smile,” Burton said.

While working as an electrician before becoming the mayor, Burton said that he used hats so people would remember him. 

“So I'd wear these different hats, when I [went to] do estimates and bids, and they would remember who I was,” he said. 

More than once, people remarked how they couldn’t take him seriously in the hats but he brushed it off by telling them the hats were him valuing life enough to prioritize enjoying it. 

“This is how I enjoy life, because I think it's important,” he said. “My crazy hats should mean that I take life very seriously. I don't want to sit back and grumble, I want to enjoy life when people grumble to me.” λ