Babies, centenarians celebrate birthdays together in Aurora
Fresh-faced birthday rookies and some birthday veterans came together Tuesday in Aurora for a new celebration honoring those reaching one year - or one century - of life, all at once.
Mayor Richard Irvin called all of the honored birthday guests his friends as a cheering crowd at the Prisco Community Center sang for eight centenarians and 50 babies turning 1 this year.
Little Rene Garcia Calderon got her first experience with a birthday Tuesday, as the event took place on her actual birth date, while William Moore checked off his 100th birthday, just months after serving as one of the grand marshals of the Aurora Memorial Day parade.
Annalie Rose Garcia smiled as she marked her first birthday while sitting next to Libbie Waldeck, an experienced birthday party girl who has made it to 101. Nearby a set of triplets celebrated their first birthday together and a 50-year-old lamented the fact she was stuck in the middle of the young and the old.
The city feted the babies with a T-shirt and two books but celebrated the 100-plus crowd with a much bigger gift - a mayoral proclamation naming a day in each of their honor across Aurora. All got cupcakes to eat however they chose - with fingers and faces full of frosting for the babies and with forks and careful caution for the centenarians.
The status of being the oldest went to Opal Hartman, who is awaiting her 102nd birthday on Oct. 9, now called Opal Hartman Day in Aurora.
Also among the centenarians was Mary Looney, who refused to wear a paper-cone birthday hat from the city in favor of her own, more fashionable, headware.
Her fellow churchgoers from Greater Mount Olive Church of God in Christ, who brought Looney to the party, said she's a feisty one. The nearly 101-year-old is known to say things like "I'm 100 - I eat what I want," and to always walk out of services with a handsome younger man on her arm, her friend Dorothy Thomas said.
The littlest in the crowd included Simora Millsap, who turned 1 in January. Her grandmother, Patricia Adams, said she was glad to be caring for Simora during such a fun occasion to make both the young and the old feel special.
"I thought it was a nice gesture," Adams said. "Something positive for the community."
Irvin planned the get-together as he approaches his 100th day in office, although Tuesday marked only Day 76. He said the event helps demonstrate his focus on youth and seniors, and Clayton Muhammad, communications director, said it's sure to become an annual occasion during Irvin's administration.
The city reached out to nursing homes to try to find all of its 100-year-olds, but sadly, four who responded weren't able to make it. Muhammad said two are alive and well but couldn't attend the party, including Irvin's own aunt, Irene Turner. Two others, a 106-year-old woman and a 103-year-old woman, died before the gathering could take place.
Muhammad, who served as the party's emcee, kept the event lively and moving right along - at the request of parents toting not-yet-toddlers and caregivers assisting centenarians.
"We've got to be quick in this stage of life," Muhammad said. "Or they're going to fall asleep on you."