Monday, October 11, 1999
Maple Knoll welcomes back band leader
BY SARA J. BENNETT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPRINGDALE — Five months of health problems kept Steven Safer away from the big band dances he started at Springdale's Maple Knoll Center for Older Adults.
Sunday, he was back. Cradling his trumpet in his lap, the leader of the Maple Knoll Big Band greeted regulars as they arrived for three hours of live music.
One by one, women in pearls bent over his wheelchair for a kiss on the cheek.
Men in suits offered their hands and words of encouragement before the sounds of Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington beckoned them into a dim ballroom.
“I had no idea the love people had for me for what I do for them,” said Mr. Safer, 59, of Silverton, whose left leg was amputated at the knee because of diabetes complications.
“Without their help and prayers, I wouldn't have had the courage to rehabilitate myself so I could come back and do this for them.”
Mr. Safer started the Sunday afternoon dances and the 14-piece Maple Knoll Big Band in 1996 to complement Maple Knoll's oldies radio station, WMKV-89.3 FM.
Nearly 100 seniors attend each week from as far away as Dayton, Ohio, for the exercise, memories and friendship.
“I look forward to it,” said Ida Fink of Loveland, who declined to give her age as she celebrated her birthday with cake and champagne.
Louis Essen, 84, visited the dance for the first time Sunday. The Dent man's wife died last year, and he was eager to make friends.
“I've made up my mind,” Mr. Essen said, as he surveyed a dance floor. “If I see a table with nothing but four or five women, I'm going to approach them, tell them my circumstances, and let them decide if they want to dance with me or just sit and talk.”
Mr. Safer is proud of the dances at Maple Knoll.
They are one of the few places in Cincinnati where people can hear a 14-piece big band, he'll tell you.
They are important in the lives of hundreds of people.
Mr. Safer didn't know just how important, though, until his surgery. Friends from the dances sent cards and letters. They visited him in the hospital. They prayed for him.
And they cheered Sunday when he took the bandstand to play a couple of pieces.
Mr. Safer plans to have a prosthetic by Christmas and walking early next year.
Now, he says, the music has new meaning.
“I had no idea when I was disabled and sick how important other people are, and that's why I do this,” he said. “It's my way of thanking people in the community for what they have done for me.”
IF YOU GO
WMKV-FM big band dances are held 1-5 p.m. Sundays at Maple Knoll Center for Older Adults, 11199 Springfield Pike, Springdale. For information, call 782-2427 or 782-4399.
Paducah plant whistleblower proved right
School programs bring riverboat era to life
Wake-up call for sleepy teens
Teen time line
Sleep tips for teens
Housing costs stump suburbs
Elections case goes to U.S.'s top court
Mall, market, schools set town abuzz
Unusual cast in governor's race
WorldJam bounces back from watery weekend
Adults aliens on Planet Pokemon
Channel 12 sticks with winner
GET TO IT
Building fires set, officials suspect
Code, litter enforcers are now police
Concern for kids unites faiths
Cyclists' inspiration: 10-year-old friend
Dump old tires with no cost, penalty
Maple Knoll welcomes back band leader
Prisoner escapes from Queensgate
TRISTATE DIGEST
