Monday is Martin Luther King Day, and the Martin Luther King Center is giving Erie several ways to celebrate.
For a man with such an enduring legacy, it's impossible to confine the celebration to just one day.
We have a whole week of ways to honor Dr. King, starting Friday.
A youth dance at the MLK Center will kick off the string of events. It's for all middle school students.
The annual MLK Day march will start in Perry Square at 10:00 a.m. this year, instead of noon. It was changed so it won't conflict with President Obama's swearing in ceremony.
All week Gannon University has a special replica display of Dr. King's jail cell. That's a great history lesson opportunity for both kids and adults.
James Sherrod, director of the MLK Center in Erie, and he pointed out how fitting Dr. King's message is for our own community.
"This time of the year it's very important to get our youth and young adults to understand that Dr. King's legacy is built on non- violence," Sherrod said. "There's been a lot of violence going on within our community, so what we did this year was try to reach out to those youth and young adults and invite them into the activities, so they can... really understand what the message is all about."
Here's a full list of events offered by the Martin Luther King Center:
FRIDAY JAN. 18: Youth Dance, 8:00p.m.-11:00 p.m. Martin Luther King Center Green Room. All middle school students welcomed. *Bring canned food donation for admission.
SATURDAY JAN. 19: Essay Contest Winners reception and program, 4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. MLK Center Auditorium. Free of charge, includes refreshments.
MONDAY, JAN. 21: Annual MLK Day March, 10:00 a.m. Perry Square. Assemble at 9:00 a.m. in the square. March to MLK Center for refreshments.
FRIDAY, JAN. 25: Bayhawk's Dr. King Holiday Night, 7:00 p.m. Erie Insurance Arena. Ages 5-18 free admission, adult tickets are $10.00.
SATURDAY JAN. 26: MLK Annual Dr. King Awards Dinner/Dance, 5:30 p.m. Reception, 6:30 p.m. Dinner. Guest speakers and awards. Ambassador Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets are $50.00.
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