FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Council and the University of Arkansas will host and sponsor three days of activities to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 19. This year’s theme for the banquet is “A Banquet fit for a King.”

A main highlight of the holiday will be the annual MLK March and Vigil. The public is invited to gather at 11:15 a.m. Monday in the Walton Arts Center parking lot on Dickson Street in Fayetteville for the March, which will end at the University of Arkansas Union. In case of inclement weather, participants will meet at the Verizon Ballroom in the Arkansas Union. This event is sponsored by the NWA Martin Luther King Jr. Council.

The Vigil will take place in the Verizon Ballroom at the Union, beginning at noon. The keynote speaker for the event will be State Representative Eddie Armstrong. U of A associate professor Pearl Dowe will also speak, and there will be student performances by JZade Forte and Kristen Smith. This event is open to the public and sponsored by the Associated Student Government at the University of Arkansas.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day events begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 19 with the MLK Dream Keepers’ Community Service Programs. A Youth Prayer Breakfast and Activity program will begin at the U of A’s Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. This event brings young people together in prayer and to reflect on how Dr. King's dream has impacted their lives. The young people will then go to the HPER building at 9:30 a.m. for activities such as basketball, volleyball and soccer. These events are sponsored by the NWA MLK Council, U of A Intramural Sports, and U of A Intercollegiate Athletics.

At 2 p.m. a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reception will be held in the Arvest Bank Lobby on the Fayetteville Square. Virgil Miller, Sr. Vice President and Group CRA Director at Arvest Bank will speak at the event. Music will be provided by the St. Joseph Angel Choir and the Holcomb Honor Choir. The winners of the Yvonne Richardson Center Essay Contest will also be announced. This event is sponsored by Arvest Bank.

The holiday celebration will conclude with the 19th annual Recommitment Banquet hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Council, where the University of Arkansas is a platinum sponsor. Keith Jackson – community activist, former NFL star, founder of P.A.R.K and broadcaster for the Razorback Sports Network – will be the keynote speaker for the banquet, which will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, in the Fayetteville Town Center on the downtown Fayetteville Square.

The annual MLK Scholarships will also be awarded during the banquet and four people and one area business will be honored for their outstanding community service.

For banquet ticket information, contact Danielle Wood at 479-575-4825, or visit http://www.nwamlk.org/mlk-banquet/tickets.

Two additional events will be held on the weekend before MLK Day. A Blanket and Baby Essentials Drive will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan 17, at St. James Baptist Church, 764 W. North Street in Fayetteville. Members of the NWA MLK Council along with Alpha Phi Alpha, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Alpha Kappa Alpha will be collecting new and gently used blankets for the Cradle Care Project and the Peace at Home Family Shelter, as well as making fleece blankets for children. They will also be collecting diapers, wipes, clothing, and other baby essentials to be donated to the Cradle Care Project.

A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan 18, also at St. James Baptist Church. This event is hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the NWA Martin Luther King Jr. Council. The featured speaker is Rev. Dwight Townsend of Little Rock.

These events are also free and the public is welcome.