Surprise! 3-year-olds attend birthday party for 103-year-old in Henderson
HENDERSON, Ky. (WFIE) - We’ve introduced her to you before, but now, Miss Anna Dixon, of Henderson, has reached another milestone with turning 103-years-old.
Thursday, several three-year-old students from Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center held a surprise birthday party for her at Redbank’s Regency Senior Apartments.
Despite the 100-year age gap between Miss Dixon and her party goers, leaders used it as a chance to promote intergenerational learning.
“We kind of talked about how cool it would be to have three years olds come and celebrate, have a big party with 103-year-old,” Kelsie Todd said. Todd is the Early Childhood Community Liaison for the Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center in Henderson.
In coordination with Redbanks Senior Apartments, where Dixon lives, they were able to put on a surprise birthday party for her.
“Anna lives here at Redbanks,” Property Manager Gigi Gentry. “She lives independently, we do nothing for her. She does for us.”
Gentry says Dixon will often look after her neighbors, join in on bi-weekly exercise classes, and play piano for the residents.
As the kids asked Dixon questions about her life, they also gave her birthday cards they made for her.
“I’m going to keep every one of them,” Dixon said. “That was just wonderful.”
Dixon even got the chance to play music with them.
“I didn’t study music,” Dixon explained. “I just took it up, I taught myself.”
Dixon doesn’t have a secret for being in the shape she is at her age, she says staying out of trouble, no smoking, and staying active.
Something everyone could see is how much she appreciated the love she received on a special day.
“I haven’t found the words for that one yet,” Dixon said. “It’s just...thank everybody, just thank you.”
Everyone in the room enjoyed cupcakes, and by the end, everyone gave Miss Dixon a hug.
“We’re human, we all just want the human touch,” Gentry said. “We want the hug, we want the I care, that’s what it’s all about in life. I care in serving each other and making each other happy.”
Dixon joked afterwards as we asked her about the party for next year. She’s taking things day by day.
“I’ve gotten so many hugs, and I’ve given so many,” Dixon said. “I enjoyed all those hugs today, every one of them.”
You may remember Miss Dixon from a story we told you at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival in 2022.
At the time, she was 101 and told us she attended the West Side Nut Club fall festival almost every single year since it began in 1921.
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