Events in the Wilmington area to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Editor's note: From Lauren Edwards, city of Wilmington Communications Office: The MLK parade route for Monday, Jan. 15, has been updated. It will begin at Third Street near Hanover Street and head south, turning on Princess Street and ending on Fourth Street near Chestnut Street. Third Street will be closed to traffic between Harnett and Market streets beginning at 7 a.m. Several additional intersections along the parade route will be blocked or closed, beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting until approximately 2:30 p.m.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday will be observed on the late civil rights leader's birthday, which will be Monday, Jan. 15.

Here are several events being held in the Wilmington area to commemorate King.

Did we miss your event? Let us know by emailing cheryl.whitaker@starnewsonline.com. 

Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. SENC Celebration and Parade Committee will hold the following events to celebrate and honor the civil rights leader.

The schedule is as follows:

• Press conference: Monday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m.-noon at the MLK Community Center, 401 S. Eighth St., Wilmington. Lunch will be served. The conference is open to the public.

• Conversation for Peace, an event by the YWCA, Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the MLK Community Center.

• The annual awards banquet will be held Friday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hotel Ballast Wilmington, 301 N. Water St., Wilmington. The buffet dinner cost is $75. The keynote speaker will be Linda Thompson, New Hanover County's chief diversity and equity officer.

• NAACP annual breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 9 a.m. at the Wendell Daniels Hall, Cape Fear Community College, 502 N. Front St., Wilmington. Cost is $40. The keynote speaker will be Gwendolyn Waddell Burrell, attorney/former North Carolina Inspector General.

• MLK Fun Day: A children's event on Saturday, Jan. 13, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the MLK Community Center.

• Faith Leaders United will present an interfaith service: Sunday, Jan. 14, 4 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 12 N. Sixth St., Wilmington. The guest speaker will be Jay Augustine, author of "When Prophets Preach." The service will be livestream.

• MLK annual parade: Monday, Jan. 15 beginning at 11 a.m.

For more information, email BMLKParade@aol.com or visit www.mlkjrcelebration-senc10.com.

More: The year ahead: 14 Wilmington-area anniversaries we'll be marking in 2024

Interfaith prayer service/luncheon

Camp United Methodist Church will be hosting an interfaith prayer service and luncheon on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. The service will be from noon-12:45 p.m. with guest speaker Bryana Clover, founder and CEO of Bryana Clover LCC. Members of the Greater Shallotte Ministerial Association will also be participating in the service.

The luncheon and discussion will be from 12:45-2 p.m. All are welcome to attend. The church is located at 4807 Main St., Shallotte. For more information, call 910-754-4840.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The Pender Arts Council, The 1865 Association, The C.F. Alumni and Mt. Pisgah AME Church presents a lineup of events in January in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The events are free and open to the public.

• Sunday, Jan. 7:  Sharecrop stories from the South's forgotten farmers. A stack stories documentary "Sharecrop," 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Pender Arts Council Building (former Dee's Drugstore building), 116 Wright St., Burgaw.

• Friday, Jan. 12: Wilmington 10: Pardons of Innocence. A Cash Michael's documentary, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Pender County Courthouse (held in the main courtroom where the trial took place), 108 S. Wright St., Burgaw.

• Sunday, Jan. 14: "I Have a Dream" Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration, 3 p.m. at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, 312 Wright St., Burgaw.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: MLK Day 2024 events in Wilmington NC