Martin Luther King Day Events in Akron

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday, celebrated on the second Monday of January, near the civil rights leader's birthday of January 15. Akron, like many midwestern cities, honors Dr. King's work with lectures, free cultural and arts presentations, and opportunities to reflex on race and equality in our society. Below are just a few of the special events planned in and around Akron for Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17 in 2011):

Akron-Summit County Library Presentation
The Akron-Summit County Library system will honor Dr. King on January 16 with a presentation by Andre Thornton, baseball hall of famer and CEO of ASW Global. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. in the main branch auditorium and is free to the public.

Akron-Summit County Library
Main Branch
60 S. High St. in Akron
330 643-9000
ascpl.lib.oh.us

Festival of Nations 2011
Downtown Akron's Civic Theatre celebrates northeast Ohio's cultural diversity for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 17 with dance presentations by a number of area ethnic dance troupes. Scheduled to perform are the Lakota Nation Dancers, a Native American group; Allegro Dance Company, an Italian dance group; Krakowiaki Polish Folk Circle; and the O'Hare Irish Dancers. In addition, foods from around the globe will be available for purchase. Adult tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the show. Children ages 18 and younger are free, but must have tickets.

Akron Civic Theatre
182 S. Main St. in Akron
330 253-2488
akroncivic.com

University of Akron Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activities
The University of Akron is marking January 17 with a community fair at the Student Union ballroom from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Activities include dance, arts and crafts, and gospel music and admission is free.

University of Akron
Student Union
302 E. Buchtel Mall in Akron
330 972-7111
uakron.edu

Cleveland's Severance Hall Day of Celebration
If you're in the mood to travel the 45 minutes from Akron to Cleveland, you'll be rewarded with a day of music at Severance Hall. The event, scheduled for January 17 from noon to 5:00 p.m., is free and will feature performances by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.

Severance Hall
11001 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland
216 231-1111
clevelandorchestra.com

Other Articles about Ohio by Sandy Mitchell
Where to Go Antiquing in Greater Cleveland
Lakefront Restaurants in Greater Cleveland
Maple Syrup Means Spring in Northeast Ohio

sources:
http://www.akroncivic.com/eventlist/event_detail.php?id=936
http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/event-detail/2011-Jan-17.aspx?pid=8820
http://www.uakron.edu/im/online-newsroom/promo_detail.dot?promoId=1707868&pageTitle=UA%20hosts%20Martin%20Luther%20King%20Jr.%20Day%20Activities%20Fair%20on%20Jan.%2017&crumbTitle=UA%20hosts%20Martin%20Luther%20King%20Jr.%20Day%20Activities%20Fair%20on%20Jan.%2017
http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=ASCPL&curKey1=Main%20Library&setRef=new