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REIDSVILLE — An entertainer as a young woman, Dorothy Hairston is still performing. At her 108th birthday celebration Tuesday, she sang “Precious Lord Take My Hand” after all the guests had sung “Happy Birthday” to her and her cake had been cut and served.

Since Hairston took up residence at Avante of Reidsville in July of 2007, the staff has given her a birthday party every year.

A tiny woman with a big smile for everyone, Hairston starts counting down the days to her birthday a few weeks beforehand, her friend, Charles Davis, said.

Davis is a regular visitor, and he always brings a gift. His birthday gifts were flowers and a soft, white bear.

One day when Davis failed to hug her right away, Hairston reprimanded him, saying “I’m old but I’m still frisky!”

Once when telling her friend about her singing career, Hairston said: “They put me on an airplane and flew me to New York.”

Hairston was born in Floyd County, Va. Her family moved to the coal-mining area of Welch, W.Va., when she was a little girl.

Hairston never had a birth certificate, said a great-niece , Edith Wiley. Hairston’s father was a Primitive Baptist minister and she was the next-to-the-youngest of six children.

She moved to North Carolina from West Virginia about 15 years ago, living in a nursing home in Madison, before her family transferred her to Reidsville so she would be closer to them.

Hairston was married twice, and she adopted a son, Tommy, who died about five years ago, Wiley said.

She also has plenty of loving nieces, nephews and greats extending to several generations.

As a young woman, Hairston began singing in nightclubs. Today, Hairston still sings and plays the harmonica for staff, visitors and other residents at the nursing home.

A nephew, Julius Graves, was visiting Hairston one day and mentioned to assistant activities director Margaret Ware that Hairston used to play the harmonica.

“I went out and bought her one for her Christmas present,” Ware said. After the first one got misplaced, Ware bought another one and now Hairston keeps it close at hand.

She didn’t have it with her at the party Tuesday, but that didn’t stop her from performing “I’m Bound for the Promised Land” as her farewell song to her many guests.

“She is well known by all of our staff,” said activities director Tarsha Jackson. “Everybody loves to hear her singing and playing her harmonica and everybody is amazed by how old she is. She has a lot of visitors.”

Ann Fish is a Reidsville native who has lived in Eden since 1979. She is a retired newspaper editor and reporter. Contact her at annsomersfish@yahoo.com.