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

~ Mesa, Arizona - On Monday, January 19, the city of Mesa and its residents will come together to honor the leadership and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The day of remembrance, known as MLK Day, will feature a parade and community festival to celebrate Dr. King's vision of a Beloved Community.

The annual Mesa-East Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will kick off at 11 a.m. in downtown Mesa. The parade, which is the only one of its kind in Arizona, will start 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 and leaders, elected officials, and various City of Mesa departments.

This year's celebration theme is "Mission Possible: Building Bridges, Building Community," highlighting the belief of the Mesa-East Valley MLK Celebration Committee that Dr. King's vision can be achieved through collective action.

Following the parade, the community festival will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Plaza at Mesa City Center on 56 E Main St. The festival will include food vendors, music, line dancing trivia, raffle prizes, and a Kids Unity Corner with activities and crafts for children. Vitalant will also be hosting a blood drive during the festival.

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At 1 p.m., there will be a brief awards presentation honoring nine individuals and one business for their contributions to the community.

Residents are advised to plan for street closures around the parade route from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., including First Street from Center Street to Mesa Drive and Centennial Way from Pepper Place to First Street. These streets will reopen as traffic control is removed.

Bus and light rail services will operate on a weekday schedule during the celebrations. However, the Downtown Buzz bus route will not serve Center Street between Main Street and University Drive from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. on January 19.

The Mesa-East Valley MLK Committee, in partnership with the City of Mesa, is hosting and presenting all of the MLK events. The parade and festival are sponsored by various organizations, including Banner Health, Kona Ice, Semper Fi Heating-Cooling-Plumbing, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Tempe Alumnae Chapter, Sport Clips, Just Serve, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Celerion, Dental Depot, OPINEX Group and Cox Communications.

The city of Mesa has been celebrating MLK Day since 1996 when residents voted to establish a citywide holiday in honor of Dr. King's leadership. For more information on the celebrations, visit the Mesa-East Valley MLK website.

As the community comes together to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is a reminder that his message of unity and equality continues to inspire and guide us today.

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