Four local events are planned for the Martin Luther King. Jr. Day Holiday weekend.
They are:
Today
The Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. today at Lonoke Baptist Church, 1841 Lonoke Ave. in Texarkana, Arkansas.
Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the program begins at 9 a.m. The theme is "Linking Many Cultures Together With One Dream." Each year the MLK Weekend Celebration holds the community Prayer Breakfast to honor the non-violence principles of Dr. King and the prayers that he prayed in the weeks prior to his death.
This celebration brings hundreds of people together in a show of unity to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to rededicate ourselves to the principles of Freedom and Justice.
Tickets are $8 at the door.
Today and Sunday's events are hosted by the Ozan-Inghram Iron Mountain Development Corporation.
For more information on either event, email [email protected] or call Sandra Warren at 903-244-0996 or Chiquita Yarber at 903-280-3626.
Sunday
The Acts of Kindness Awards Presentation Gala is planned for 7 p.m. at the Twin City Events Center, 2101 Texas Blvd.
Continuing the prayer breakfast's theme of "Linking Many Cultures Together With One Dream," the gala honors individuals, companies and organization from across the Arkansas and Texas state lines who have distinguished themselves through community service.
The event observes Dr. King's vision "Everyone can be great; because everybody can serve."
The MLK Weekend Committee honors many unsung heroes for their unselfish contribution to the welfare of others through unselfish commitment and uncompensated service.
Tickets are $60 each or $500 for a table of eight.
Monday
The fifth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Parade at 11:30 a.m. in Downtown Texarkana.
The parade, sponsored by Bridging the Gaps of Arkansas, will start its line-up at 10 a.m. near the 500 block of East Broad Street and will include about 50 units.
Once the parade starts, it will go for slightly more than one mile in distance. The parade route itself will go from along East Broad Street over to East Front Street, then over to Olive Street, then to North State Line Avenue, before moving on to East Fourth Street and concluding at the Miller County Courthouse.
Those businesses, churches, schools, civic organizations and individuals interested in participating in the parade should submit a parade application, along with a $15 entry fee, no later than 5 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Jefferson Professional Building, 4425 Jefferson Ave.
For more information, call Barbara Pitts Riley at 903-908-9754 or parade chairman Brandon Houff at 903-701-2341.
A Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at 1 p.m. at Dunbar Elementary School, 2315 W. 10th St. in Texarkana, Texas.
The event is free and open to the public as the community reflects on King through music, spoken word, dance and more. Refreshments will be served.
The celebration is hosted by The Greater Texarkana Branch NAACP, and not related to or sponsored by Texarkana Independent School District.
Pastor Willie J. Carrington II will be the speaker.
King's principles of nonviolence will be shared, which include:
nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people
nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding
nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people
nonviolence holds that voluntary suffering can educate and transform
nonviolence chooses love instead of hate
and nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
For more information, email [email protected] or go to facebook.com/NAACPTexarkana or texarkananaacp.org