City cancels MLK Day march because of cold
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The City of Columbus has canceled Monday's MLK Day march because of the "polar vortex" hitting central Ohio.
The annual MLK program will continue as scheduled. The program will start at 4:45 p.m. Monday in the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St. The program will feature U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, gospel musician Isaac Carree, winners of the MLK Youth Oratorical Contest and other community leaders including Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. The event is free and open to the public.
The march was scheduled to start at 4 p.m., at the Lincoln Theatre, before the program, but the city announced late Sunday that it was canceling the march "due to extremely cold weather."
Temperatures are expected to dip to 5 degrees early Monday morning and climb to a high in the mid-teens Monday.
The low temperatures prompted the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department to open warming stations at five community centers on Sunday. At least one of the centers, Thompson Community Center, 1189 Dennison Ave., will also be open Monday for shelter.
In addition, Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. Broad St. Downtown, will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday for those seeking shelter from the cold. Coffee and lunch will be provided.
jweiker@dispatch.com
@JimWeiker
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Polar vortex forces cancelation of MLK Day march
