Mesa Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Parade and Festival

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~ Mesa, AZ- The city of Mesa and its residents are coming together to honor the leadership and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 20th. This day of remembrance, known as MLK Day, will kick off with the annual Mesa-East Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade at 11 a.m. in downtown Mesa. The parade will be followed by a community festival from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Plaza at Mesa City Center.

The theme for this year's celebration is "Building Bridges: Cultivating Our Community," which pays tribute to Dr. King's legacy by promoting unity, inclusion, and community growth.

The parade, which is the only one of its kind in Arizona, will begin at the intersection of Center Street and MLK Way and travel south on Center Street to First Street before ending at Hibbert Street. The parade will feature marching bands, faith-based organizations, local groups, community leaders, elected officials, and various City of Mesa departments in order to create a festive and inclusive event for all.

This year's grand marshal will be representatives from Salt River Project for their dedication to diversity and inclusion throughout the community.

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After the parade, the Mesa-East Valley MLK Festival will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Plaza at Mesa City Center on Main Street. The festival will offer food vendors, live music and entertainment, interactive line dancing, and a Kids Unity Corner with activities and crafts for children. Vitalant will also be hosting a blood drive during the festival.

In partnership with the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University (ASU), there will be a showing of the movie Selma at 1 p.m., which chronicles Dr. King's campaign for voting rights during his historic march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama in 1965.

In addition, two of Mesa's downtown museums, the Arizona Museum of Natural History and the i.d.e.a. Museum, will be offering half-price admission on MLK Day. The Arizona Museum of Natural History will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the i.d.e.a. Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Residents who live along the parade route or plan to attend the festivities should be aware of street closures that will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. These closures include First Street from Center Street to Mesa Drive, Centennial Way from Pepper Place to First Street, Pasadena at First Street, Hibbert from Pepper Place to First Street, Hibbert from Second Street to Third Place, Wilbur at First Street, and Pomeroy from Pepper Place to First Street.

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From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Center Street will also be closed from University Drive to Pepper Place, Third Place from Center Street to Drew Street, MLK Way from Center Street to Centennial Way, and Second Street at Center Street.

Pepper Place will also be closed between Center Street and Centennial Way for the festival area until 7 p.m.

Valley Metro bus and light rail services will operate on a weekday schedule on MLK Day. The Downtown Buzz shuttle will not serve Center Street between Main Street and University Drive during this time. Residents are encouraged to download the Valley Metro app for real-time updates on detours and schedules.

All of the MLK events are organized by the Mesa-East Valley MLK Committee in partnership with the City of Mesa, ASU's Sidney Poitier New American Film School and Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The parade and festival are sponsored by Amazon, Salt River Project (SRP), Sundt, Banner Health, Semper Fi Heating-Cooling-Plumbing, Kona Ice, VCA Animal Hospitals, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Tempe Alumnae Chapter, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix.

The annual MLK celebrations in Mesa were established in 1996 after residents voted to make it a citywide holiday in honor of Dr. King's leadership. For more information on the events, visit the Mesa-East Valley MLK website.

Filed Under: Government, City
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