Community to celebrate King's birthday

The Annual Youth Celebration will be on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. and will feature music by the Salem-Enterprise Baptist District Association Youth Choir featuring the Daleville High School Step Team.

The citywide celebration will be Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. and will feature keynote speaker the Rev. Charles Kelley, pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Salem.

According to organizers, the city will not be hosting a memorial march during this year's observance.

In New Brockton, residents will honor King, Jan. 21, with a program beginning at 9 a.m. at the old Warren Smith School on Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

The program will feature a presentation by the youth in the community under the direction of Ella Burrows. The program will be followed by a march from the school to Poplar Springs Baptist Church for an 11 a.m. program featuring guest speaker the Rev. James Starks, pastor of new Glorious Church of God in Christ in the Shiloh Community.

On Fort Rucker, a Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program will be observed Jan. 17 at the Post Theatre at 10 a.m.

The theme for the program this year is "Peace! Passion! Purpose! Everybody can be great because everybody can serve," featuring guest speaker Mike Schmitz, mayor of Dothan.

The program will also feature Shelia Jackson and her son Patrick or Greater Saint Paul AME Church in Troy.

In Daleville, the Daleville Christian Fellowship Worship Center will host its 19th Annual Peace Parade at 10 a.m., Jan. 26.

The parade will begin at Advanced Auto Parts on Daleville Avenue and continue to the church on Holman Bridge Road in Daleville.

Shuttle transportation will be provided from the church to the starting place beginning at 9:30 a.m.

A program will be hosted at the church after the parade at 11 a.m.