There will be several events in Salina over the weekend to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Events will begin on Sunday with a city wide celebration. It will be at tghe Grand Avenue United Methodist Church, 304 W. Grand Avenue. This year’s event will include presentations by Kirk Holt, Ralita Cheeks, and Rafael Mendez to help commemorate the resilience and principles for which Dr. King lived and died.

At 8:00 Monday morning a Beloved Community Commemorative Service featuring Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is planned. This event can be streamed by going to Fox 5 Atlanta’s website via this link https://www.fox5atlanta.com/live. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Salina, 901 Beatrice, will host a public viewing of the event for anyone who cannot stream it or those who would just like to view it. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m. Light breakfast snacks and coffee will be served throughout the viewing. All are welcome to come!

At noon Monday St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, 215 S. Chicago Street, will host a youth-centered celebration. Guest Speaker is Salina Native Royce Haynes who now lives in Denver. He is  Chief Product Officer of Aspect. Music will include Salina South and Salina Central choirs.

Monday evening at 7:00 the final event will be held at Kansas Wesleyan University inside Sams Chapel. The guest speaker is Kirk Holt of Mansfield, Texas. This 1980 Salina Central graduate is the current president of the Dunbar School Alumni Association. He has a distinguished banking career that includes more than 30 years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  He joined Ernst & Young, LLP in 2021 and is the senior regulatory advisor. He also served over 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and received numerous commendations.