Holiday offerings announced

Hickory-area residents are invited to attend any of the following observances for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

By: From staff reports | Hickory Daily Record
Published: January 16, 2009

HICKORY --

Area Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations include events for everyone from the youngest to the oldest observers of the holiday.

Among the offerings:

"Martin's Big Words" reading

A librarian will read the children's book "Martin's Big Words," a story that begins with a young Martin Luther King Jr. reading a "White Only" sign and ends with some of the "big words" King is remembered for, including peace, love and freedom. Staffers also will help children make dream catchers and other crafts for younger children.

When: 2 p.m. today

Where: Barnes & Noble, 2405 U.S. 70, SE, Hickory

Cost: Free

MLK Jr. Celebration

Motivational speaker Kenston Griffin will address a crowd gathered to honor the civil rights leader. The event's theme is "From Dream to Reality."

When: 5:30 p.m. today

Where: The Crowne Plaza (formerly Holiday Inn Select), 1385 Lenoir-Rhyne Blvd., SE, Hickory

Cost: $30

Pre-Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

"The Dream Becomes a Reality" service brings in youth and young adults to talk about the civil rights movement. The youth choir and other area young people will sing.

When: 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Seventh Street, Taylorsville

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speaker

Thabiti Lewis, a professor who specializes in black literature and culture, will give a talk on King's legacy and the responsibility of youth. Lewis, who teaches at Washington State University at Vancouver, has received honors for research into the Atlantic slave trade.

When: 10 a.m. Monday

Where: P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University

Cost: Free

MLK Jr. Grand March and celebration

The Catawba County branch of the NAACP sponsors a march that culminates in a MLK Jr. program with a saxophone soloist, the Rev. Gloria Easter as the mistress of ceremony and speaker the Rev. Vincent Ross.

When: 11 a.m. march and noon program

Where: Begins at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 103 S. Ervin Ave., Newton and proceeds to the historic 1924 courthouse, where the program will take place.

Cost: Free