Events

Expanded MLK Day Celebration for 2012

A full weekend of activities will be held this year in Lake Worth in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. on January 14^th through January 16^th. The programs will develop the theme, MLK: From the Mountaintop and Moving Forward.

The highlight will be the 18^th annual Candlelight March through downtown Lake Worth on Monday, January 16^th. Included will be young and old; veterans of the civil rights movement as well as a multitude of church and school groups. Participants will gather at 5 PM at City Hall and parade down Lake Avenue to the MLK “Ball” Memorial. A brief commemorative program at the Memorial will feature the presentation of Peacemaker, Citizenship and Volunteer Service Awards to Lake Worth students.

Following the March, a Fellowship Dinner is planned at First Baptist Church. The church is located at Second Ave. South and M Street, just a block south of the Memorial. Light entertainment is planned. The free dinner will provide an opportunity for warm fellowship across religious and racial lines in the spirit of Dr. King. Sponsoring religious and civic organizations will provide the food and beverages. Members of the general public are invited to help with the dinner preparations which will begin at First Baptist at 4 PM or to contribute a dessert.

Earlier in the day, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Lucerne Ave. and Palmway, will host an interfaith prayer breakfast from 7:30 – 9 AM. A diverse program will feature prayer and music by local representatives of Christian, Jewish, Bahá’í and Buddhist faiths as well as performances by Lake Worth area children.

On Saturday, January 14^th at 4 PM, the Friends (Quaker) Meeting House will host a panel discussion and community consultation entitled the Spirituality of Nonviolence: Reviving the Legacy. The discussion will explore the implications of Dr. King’s philosophy for both personal spirituality as well as nonviolence social action on the issues currently facing our city and our nation.

The thrilling musical and drama presentation, Of Ebony Embers, on Sunday, January 15^th at 3 PM, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church is not to be missed. The Core Ensemble (cello, piano, percussion and actor) performs music by African American jazz greats Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus as context for a series of dramatic vignettes on the Harlem Renaissance. Admission is free.

Dr. King’s Dream encompassed the hopes and dreams of all Americans. Members of every racial, religious and ethnic group in Palm Beach County are invited to join Lake Worth residents in their celebration of the diversity of our community. All events are free of charge to the public, sponsored by the City of Lake Worth, Kiwanis Club, Lake Worth Interfaith Network and the Lake Worth MLK Committee.