Monday the nation and the First Coast celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here’s a look at some of the area events that are being held in honor of the civil rights leader on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020.
Jacksonville
The Annual MLK Holiday Grand Parade will be held in Downtown Jacksonville beginning at 10 a.m.
The parade will wind through the streets, beginning at Daily's Place Amphitheater on Bay Street and will conclude at Johnson Street near the Prime Osborn Convention Center.
Live entertainment and food will be set up along the parade route.
A day of service called Paint the Town on MLK Day is being held in Northwest Jacksonville. The Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation and National Health Corps Florida AmeriCorps are inviting the community to join them from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Organizers and residents will paint 10 homes in the Riverview neighborhood.
The Timucuan Parks Foundation is holding a MLK Day of Service Volunteer Project at Hanna Park. The nonprofit organization and the city of Jacksonville will be leading projects, including invasive plant removal, trail maintenance and shoreline cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park at 500 Wonderwood Dr.
Volunteers should identify themselves as volunteers to park staff at the front gate and meet by 9 a.m. at the lakefront parking lot. Participants should wear closed-toed shoes and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty.
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is offering free art engagement activities and special commemorations from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission. Highlights will include art-making activities, live music, demonstrations by artists, and complimentary trolley transportation between the Cummer Museum and the Ritz Theatre and Museum. Ecumenical prayers for peace, coordinated with OneJax, will be held at 3 p.m. at both locations.
Fernandina Beach
The Martin Luther King Jr. Parade begins at Peck Center, 516 S. 10th St. at noon. It will move up Ash, South Second and Centre streets.
St. Augustine
The 35th Annual Commemorative Breakfast Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held at the Mark W. Lance Armory, 190 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine. The guest speaker will be Fedrick C. Ingram, president of the Florida Education Association.
A Remembrance March starting at AME Church at 11:30 am, 86 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Lincolnville to the Plaza de la Constitucion, 170 St. George St., in the city’s center square, will also be held. Speakers will present in the gazebo from noon until 2 p.m.
Editor’s Note: If your group has an MLK event on Monday that you would like listed in this story, kindly email the information to bbortzfield@wjct.org by 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
