Local News
Four-day MLK Festival packed with activities
TBO.com
Published: January 15, 2013
AVON PARK - From an oratorical contest and prayer breakfast to a peace rally and parade, Highlands County is observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day through a variety of activities over four days.Published: January 15, 2013
The 2013 MLK Festival, as it's so called, will kick off Friday with an oratorical contest set for 6 p.m. at the Avon Park City Council Chambers.
Students from Avon Park middle and high schools will give short speeches on community service, integrity and how Martin Luther King changed their lives. The public is invited to listen.
Saturday, a peace rally is set at Aline McWhite Park, in Southside Avon Park, starting at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, there is a jazz festival and a contemporary gospel show all day at Memorial Field in Avon Park. The public is invited to bring their lawn chairs and watch the performers.
There will also be food booths, bounce houses and pony rides open to visitors Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Memorial Field from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission to all the above events is free. Vendors have to pay a fee to set up.
Activities on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, start off with a prayer breakfast at Grogan Center, across from the Avon Park High School.
Lakeland's Word Alive Ministries Inc.'s pastor E. Telefair Pickett III is the guest speaker at the prayer breakfast, which is set from 7 to 9 a.m.
Avon Park High School's student group, Dress For Success, will recite poems and King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
There are other activities planned, too.
Arnold Wilson, who is coordinating the event, said he hopes to accommodate 350 people and stressed it's a countywide event that is open to everyone.
To buy tickets, call Wilson at 446-3018.
The prayer breakfast will be followed by the MLK parade, which starts at noon on Main Street in Avon Park.
The parade will start at the Depot Museum in Avon Park and end at Memorial Field. It's $5 to enter in the parade, and those interested can call Gerald Snell at 873-6698 to obtain an application.
The Southside Community Redevelopment Agency is sponsoring the events, said Snell, who is the chairman of the group.
This year, they have stepped up the events they usually hold to commemorate King's birthday, and making it possible are the generous sponsorships they have received, he said.
He invited the public to come participate in the activities, adding that the festival was not just geared toward blacks and that King fought for equality for all races.