IRONTON — Ironton residents did well in the A Night at the Apollo program Feb. 26 at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland.

This year’s showcase of amateur performers from the TriState area featured singers, dancers and poets.

Winners of the Adult Division were: First Place, Susan Taylor from Ironton; Second Place, singer Marshall Taylor, Jr. from Ironton; and Third Place, dancer Becki Steele form Grayson.

Winners of the Children’s Division were: First Place, dancer R. J. Washington from Ashland; Second Place, the “Work” dance group from the Yvonne Dekay School of Dance in Ironton; and Third Place, the “BimBam” dance group from Yvonne Dekay.

Adult prizes were $200, $100 and $50 for first, second and third place respectively, and children’s prizes $75, $50 and $25.

A Night at the Apollo commemorates the amateur nights of the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem where many famous performers were discovered.

The Jackson Five, with Michael Jackson and his brothers, sang at the Apollo in 1967 and were soon signed by Motown Records.

Offered as a community Black History Month program, A Night at the Apollo was sponsored by Ashland Community and Technical College; Arts Council of NE Kentucky; Boyd & Greenup County Branch of NAACP; City of Ashland Human Rights Commission; Highlands Museum & Discovery Center; Paramount Arts Center, Dr. William H. Boykin, Jr.; Dr. James H. Martin, Jr.; Dr. Charles M. Rhodes; Tri-State Digestive Disease Associates, PSC with Dr. Cheryl L Bascom and Dr. Michael D. Canty; Tri-State Radiology, PSC; UCAN, Inc. and Windstream Communications.

This year’s show included a special tribute to Michael Jackson, with dancers recreating Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Yvonne Dekay School of Dance and Nancy’s Dance Studio in Huntington helped coach the dancers, and practice facilities were provided by Yvonne Dekay and the First Christian Church of Ashland.