The music started around 4 p.m., and by the time it wrapped at 9, seniors from some of Central‘s high-rise apartment buildings had eaten a delicious meal and danced out of their seats.
Council Member Richard Starr threw a senior (citizens) prom last week at Platform 13, the event space at 7500 Cedar Ave. There was a Harlem Renaissance theme with feathered boas, flapper fringe and a big screen quietly running the 1989 Eddie Murphy film “Harlem Nights” in the background. A live band called the Unit – led by T. Marie and Bronson Landrum out front — worked through a set that opened with Jill Scott’s “Long Walk.” Later the DJ mixed old-school with whatever got people out on the floor moving.
Starr said the idea traces back to a citywide senior prom Cleveland hosted two years ago. When the city didn’t bring it back last year, he decided Ward 5 would do its own version. He and his staff spent about six months putting it together. Luxury coaches picked seniors up from their apartment buildings.
Inside the venue
The venue carries its own history. Platform 13 sits in a building that spent decades as a Baptist church before the owner, who grew up in the neighborhood, bought it and turned it into an event space. Starr said the owner is someone who’s “always opened his door” for Ward 5 — someone who believes in impact over income and made the space available to do exactly what the day needed.
Inside, tables were stacked with perch, fried chicken, garden salad, macaroni salad, fettuccine, smoked turkey, garlic bread and rolls, with cupcakes and cookies for dessert. Several seniors said it was their first time at anything like this event. Veronica Triplett said she came out purely for the music, especially the chance to get on the floor for some line dancing.
What seniors had to say
Yvonne Salters, a familiar face in Ward 5, said she shows up for Starr’s events because she feels he shows up for his residents in return – she’s a regular at his senior walks. This time she was hoping to hear some Earth, Wind & Fire.
Sheila Freeman, out for her first time, said she tries to make it to other community events when she can.
Antoinette, who doesn’t even live in Ward 5, admitted her dress was so long she had to be careful how much she actually danced in it so she didn’t trip over it.
And Rosemary Anderson, 57, said the day carried extra weight for her personally: a member of John Adams High School’s Class of 1987, she never got to attend her own senior prom. Today she’s a regular at her ward meetings, already looking ahead to the back-to-school fest, and a mother of four with four granddaughters. On the dance floor, her request was James Brown’s “Get Up.”
Many attendees said that they miss community and this reminded them of their families, especially those who’ve passed on and loved a “good party.”
Music, dancing and home repair
The event also provided resources for those who may need it. The city’s Department of Aging sent an intake specialist, Angela Johnson, who staffed a table on home repair, senior safety, the Cleveland Care Call line and the department’s weekly senior walks held in a different neighborhood each Wednesday. Third Police District representative Tiffany McClay, who grew up in Fairfax and now works in the neighborhood she was raised in, was also on hand — she said she played a role in planning the prom and shows up for whatever’s happening in her district, complaint or celebration.
For Starr, who was raised in the King Kennedy housing estates, the afternoon was framed as part of a bigger push to reach seniors where they are. He told the crowd he’s already looking at a karaoke night next and floated the idea of outdoor tournaments down the line.
By the end, seniors who’d spent the evening on their feet were leaving shoes in hand and smiling big. Asked what she’d tell her neighbors who didn’t come, Triplett answered without missing a beat: “Too bad for you. You missed out.”
