Slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be remembered with a four-day festival that includes a parade, dance competition and more.
The theme of the 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival is "A Dream ... With a New Beginning." The opening ceremony is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Most of the activities are in and around the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The festival is organized by the Improvement League of Plant City.
City Commissioner Mary Yvette Thomas Mathis calls King, who was assassinated in 1968, "the drum leader of our nation's coming of age."
"I am always excited about the MLK Festival and parade. Each year it gets better and better. I am especially proud of my city, and the Improvement League which has received national recognition for its support of this festival and diversity in our community," Mathis said.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit a teen conference for 200 local youngsters, interior restoration of the Bing Rooming House Museum and exhibits, and a computer lab.
The Plant City Recreation and Parks Department and a number of businesses are sponsors.
Mathis said the festival - and the memory of the fallen icon - are worthy of the community's support.
"The message repeated to all of us by Dr. King was the importance of nonviolence and that all people are brothers and sisters in peace," Mathis said. "The festival is the perfect time for all people in the community to stand together to uphold those dreams."
Pastor Kenneth Caldwell of Now New Faith Fellowship Church will be the guest speaker and singers from the Lincoln Elementary School choir will perform at the opening ceremony, Improvement League spokesman William Thomas Jr. said.
One of the most popular festival events is a step-team competition that will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Marshall Middle School gymnasium, 15 S. Maryland Ave. Admission is $10.
"Competition lasts about three hours with teams from all over the state taking part. The winning school will receive a $1,000 first prize," Thomas said.
Another festival highlight is a parade, which will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday. The starting point will be at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard just west of Waller Street. The parade units will head east on the boulevard to the recreation center.
Bands from Plant City, Strawberry Crest and Durant high schools will be joined by bands from Marshall and Turkey Creek middle schools.
"We are glad to see the school bands taking part in the parade," Thomas said. "Their participation is important to us."
Mayor Rick Lott said city leaders are proud to be a part of the festival and parade.
"We are looking for another successful event," Lott said. "Each year the festival seems to get better and better. The event grows along with the community, and the Martin Luther King parade should be better than ever."
An amateur comedy competition, Laughter is the Best Winner, will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday outside the recreation center, weather permitting.
"We'll take the competition inside if we need to," Thomas said. "But we'll look for good weather. The winning comedy act will win a $250 cash prize."
Following the comedy competition, Tom G., a local hip-hop artist known in the Tampa area for his hit song "Problemz," will headline a musical program starting at about 4:30 p.m. Other features during the day will include a gospel celebration from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and a street festival from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. that will include food and craft vendors.
On Sunday, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Breakfast will feature guest speaker Joan Holmes, the assistant to Hillsborough Community College President Gwen Stevenson. The breakfast is at the ballroom at the Red Rose Inn and Suites, 2011 N. Wheeler St. Tickets to the 7:30 a.m. breakfast are $25 each.
The festival concludes Monday, the nationally observed date for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with a 10:30 a.m. Freedom Walk around Samuel W. Cooper Lake.
"The walk will encourage us to be more fit and healthy, with health care information available along the lakeside," Thomas said.
One lap around the lake is six-tenths of a mile.
"We will encourage those participating to enjoy the walk around the lake, and walk a mile with their friends. The Freedom Walk will be a good way to end the 2010 celebration," Thomas said.
If you go
FRIDAY: Opening ceremony, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; step show, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Marshall Middle School auditorium, 15 S. Maryland Ave.; step show after party, 9:30 p.m. to midnight
SATURDAY: Street Fest, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; parade, 1 p.m., starts at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Waller Street and marches to recreation center complex; comedy talent show, 2:30 to 4 p.m.; gospel celebration, 2:30 to 5 p.m.; various entertainment, 4 to 10 p.m.
SUNDAY: Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Red Rose Inn and Suites ballroom, 2011 N. Wheeler St.
MONDAY: Freedom Walk, 10:30 a.m., lakeside at Samuel W. Cooper lake and park, Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard and Lake Street
INFORMATION: Call the Improvement League of Plant City at (813) 757-6760.
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