Fort Collins, Loveland and Colorado State University Communities Celebrate Mlk Day with Multiple Events
The Fort Collins, Loveland and Colorado State University communities will gather for joint activities in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, 2007. The theme of this year’s celebration is "Courage to Build a Community of Social Justice."
On Sunday, Jan. 14, Colorado State University Apartment Life will host "From Dr. King to You: Taking Action in Our Community," an international potluck dinner, from 6-8 p.m. at the University Village Center. The dinner will provide plenty of food and fellowship for the entire community along with children’s art activities.
Events for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15, will include the traditional one-mile march from Colorado State’s historic Oval to Linden Street in Old Town, Fort Collins, starting at 11 a.m. In addition, programs on the Oval and in Old Town will be part of the festivities.
Before the march, the community is invited to a 9:30 a.m. poetry and essay reading at the Colorado State University Bookstore in the Lory Student Center. The readers will include children whose winning poems and essays were selected through the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. essay and poetry contest.
The community march, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Oval on Colorado State’s campus, will kick off with music by Poudre High School junior Emily Fehler; an address by guest speaker Dr. Norberto Valdez, an expert in anthropology and ethnic studies; and music by Colorado State graduate student George Jackson III.
Following Valdez’s address, the community is invited to participate in the annual march from the Oval to Old Town, which recreates the historic 1963 civil rights march on Washington, D.C.
The march will proceed east on Laurel Street to College Avenue then continue north on College Avenue to Mountain Avenue. Participants will enter Old Town Square from the northeast intersection of College and Mountain Avenues, and then continue on to Linden Street. The march route will be closed to traffic during the event. Participants will be encouraged to sing as they march, with words to several songs provided in the printed program.
The program in Old Town will continue with another keynote speech from Valdez accompanied by music from the Fort Collins High School Jazz Band.
Loveland’s 17th annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration will be at 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 15 at Thompson Valley High School, 1669 Eagle Drive. The Loveland event will include a performance by Grupo Folklorico, a presentation of awards from the local Martin Luther King Jr. Day essay contest and a performance of "William the Slave" by Blane Harding.
Visit www.mlkfortcollins.org for more information about local Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.
-30-