Best bets: Where to celebrate MLK Day
Friday, January 16, 2009
• The “Salute To Greatness” Awards Dinner honors individuals and corporations that exemplify excellence in their leadership and have demonstrated a commitment to social responsibility in the spirit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s honorees include Hillary Rodham Clinton and S. Truett Cathy. 5:30 p.m. reception; 6:30 p.m. dinner, Jan. 17. $200. Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-526-8911, www.thekingcenter.org.
• The civil rights leader’s life gets the operatic treatment in “King: The Story of a Preacher from Atlanta.” On Sunday, Jan. 18, Theatrical Outfit will perform a free concert of excerpts from Douglas Tappin’s new contemporary opera. 3 p.m. Jan. 18. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-688-7263, www.historicebenezer.org/Home.html.
John Spink/Staff
A march and rally in Lawrenceville capped off Gwinnett’s King Day events last year.
Map: Full list of MLK Day events
News & info: Full coverage of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• There will also be parades on the actual holiday (Monday, Jan. 19) in many towns around the metro area, including Marietta, where the procession begins at the intersection of Fairground Street and South Marietta Parkway. Proceeds north on Fairground Street, turning left onto Roswell Street before ending in Marietta Square. 1 p.m. Jan. 19. Lockheed Employees Federal Credit Union, 430 Commerce Park Drive, Marietta. 404-863-0945.
• In downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference hosts a Sweet Auburn pilgrimage. The event is a four-block journey that ends at the King Center, 449 Auburn Ave., and features guests such as Afeni Shakur, mother of the late hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur, and other community business leaders. 9 a.m. Jan. 20. Southern Christian Leadership Conference National Headquarters, 320 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-522-1420, www.sclcnational.org.
• On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Region headquarters (adjacent to Clayton State University) will show “At the River I Stand.” The documentary recounts the two months leading to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, coinciding with a labor strike in Memphis. Noon-1 p.m. Jan. 21. 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow. 770-968-2555, a-s.clayton.edu/mlking.
