Events celebrating MLK's 75th birthday span past weekend
Several activities are planned throughout Pinellas County to commemorate the life of the civil rights leader.
By MEGAN SCOTT
Published January 14, 2004
CLEARWATER - Hundreds of mid and north Pinellas County residents are expected Thursday to celebrate what would have been the 75th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who changed history.
Clearwater will host a birthday party Thursday afternoon at the North Greenwood Library and Largo will have a candlelight vigil at Largo Central Park later that evening. Other cities will do their celebrating this weekend and on Monday, with breakfasts, church services and marches.
For the first time, the city of Dunedin is hosting its own festivities with a King holiday program at Pioneer Park on Monday. The city has designated next week as Diversity Week, with the theme "A Community United - Many Paths, One Destination."
Leon Russell, human rights officer for Pinellas County recommends people attend a local celebration or participate in a community service project.
And finding one shouldn't be a problem. Here is a list of events:
THURSDAY:
CLEARWATER: Clearwater Public Library system will host a birthday celebration, 3 p.m., North Greenwood Library, 905 N Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., including stories and crafts. Call 462-6895.
LARGO: Largo will have a candlelight vigil, 7 p.m., Largo Central Park, corner of East Bay Drive and Seminole/Missouri Avenue. Young people will give speeches on King's work and the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church choir will perform. Commissioner Calvin Harris is the keynote speaker. Call 587-6775.
SATURDAY:
TARPON SPRINGS: The Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation will sponsor a parade at 2 p.m. on Lemon Street. The line-up for the parade will be at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Lemon Street and Ring Avenue. The march will end at Dorsett Park with a celebration. Call 937-7015.
SAFETY HARBOR: The city of Safety Harbor and the Safety Harbor African American Alliance will host a breakfast at the Rigsby Center, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., 605 2nd St. N. A celebration and march will follow at 11 a.m., Daisy Douglas Park, 601 9th Ave. N. Call 724-1545.
SUNDAY:
DUNEDIN: Actor Bob Devin Jones will portray civil rights leader Harry T. Moore, a leading human rights activist in Brevard County, 3 p.m., Andrews Memorial Chapel - Hammock Park. Call 298-3213.
LARGO: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. candlelight vigil at the YMCA of the Suncoast, Greater Ridgecrest Branch, at 7 p.m., 1801 119th Street N. Call 559-0500.
MONDAY:
CLEARWATER: The NAACP Clearwater/Upper Pinellas County Branch is sponsoring two events to celebrate the observance of King Day: Martin Luther King Breakfast "A Time to Remember the Message and the Man" will be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Douglas Avenue. The per-plate fee is $4. The march will immediately follow the breakfast and end at Coachman Park. The Rev. Julius C. Hope, of Highland Park, Mich., NAACP's National Director Department of Religious Affairs, will be the keynote speaker.
CLEARWATER; The African-American History Museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1101 N Marshall St. The museum will show a series of videos about King and the civil rights movement. One room will be dedicated to King, with artifacts and other memorabilia, such as books, newspaper clippings and magazine articles. Call 524-9068.
DUNEDIN: Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day, 3 p.m to 7 p.m, Pioneer Park. There will be performances from the Pathway Deaf Choir, Dunedin High School steppers, the Wheelchair Dance Troupe and Kuumba dancers. Call 298-3213.
LARGO: Community march, 8 a.m., YMCA of the Suncoast, Greater Ridgecrest branch. Line-up is at 7:30 a.m., 1801 119th Street North. Breakfast is at 9 a.m., Ridgecrest Elementary School cafeteria. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children. Community service vendors will be displayed from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 559-0500.
TUESDAY:
DUNEDIN: Unity breakfast, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., Hale Activity Center, 330 Douglas Avenue. The Rev. Clem Bell of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church will be the keynote speaker. RSVP at 298-3299.
DUNEDIN Story time about African-American artists, 3:30 to 4 p.m., Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Ave.
JAN.21:
DUNEDIN: The Dunedin Public Library will show a true story film about a young black girl from Alabama and a white seminary student from the North who join forces to fight segregation, 3:30 p.m., 223 Douglas Ave. Call 298-3213.
JAN.22:
DUNEDIN: Film based on Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, about the explosion of racial hatred in a small Alabama town, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Ave. Call 298-3213.
JAN.23:
DUNEDIN In Remembrance of Martin film, 1 p.m., Hale Activity Center, 330 Douglas Ave. Call 298-3213.
DUNEDIN: Chinese New Year Celebration, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Broadway, downtown Dunedin. Call 736-1933.
DUNEDIN: Fun Night, 7 p.m., Stirling Recreation Center, 550 Laura Lane. Call 298-3213.
