Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. in Marina

The public is invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a free, family-friendly concert and lunch on Monday, January 20 from 11:30am – 1:30pm at Locke-Paddon Park in Marina.

This concert and lunch is co-sponsored by Monterey County Pops! Orchestra, Citizens for Sustainable Marina, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD) and the City of Marina. Lunch for the first 250 guests will be free and feature southern food provided by Marina’s own Kona Jerry’s starting at 11:45am. Monterey County Pops! Orchestra, a 40-person ensemble, will be playing pieces composed by African American composers from 12:30pm – 1:30pm. Come early to enjoy additional activities including kindness rock painting and interactive booths where you can see and hold live amphibians and reptiles. An inspiration ceremony during lunch, presented by Kamilah Magied, Phuong Nguyen and Steve Zmak, will focus on the significance of MLK Jr. and the justice he preached.

“The City of Marina is excited to launch what we hope becomes an annual event to celebrate this holiday and Marina’s MLK Jr. Sculpture Garden, and we are deeply thankful to Monterey County Pops! Orchestra for making it really special for our community,” shared Marina’s Mayor Bruce Delgado. Due to limited parking, attendees are requested to park at the Calvary Baptist Church, 160 Seaside Court, across from the Park or at the Walmart Supercenter, 150 Beach Road.

“Monterey County Pops! is thrilled by the support that we are receiving from the City of Marina for our first-ever performance in Marina,” said Dr. Carl Christensen, Music Director, Monterey County Pops!. “We are excited about being part of a city-planned series of events in observance of Martin Luther King Day.”

All ages are welcome to participate, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a supervising adult.

“Music was a huge part of MLK Jr.’s life, and we are delighted to have Monterey County Pops! Orchestra perform at this family-friendly event. Please come celebrate with us at our beloved park,” shared Jeff Markham, MPRPD Board Director, Ward 1.

In the event of poor weather, lunch and the concert performance will be moved indoors to Rocky Han Community Center at 211 Hillcrest Ave. Please visit the Communities for Sustainable Monterey County (Citizens for Sustainable Marina) website for specific event details, or email Mayor Bruce Delgado or call (831) 277-7690.