This year marks what would have been King’s 80th birthday, as well as 40 years since the great civil rights leader’s assassination on April 4, 1968. Denver hosts the largest MLK commemoration in the country, with more than 30,000 people attending the annual Marade – a march and parade combined.
The Marade will start at 10:45 a.m. from the "I Have a Dream" statue of King in City Park. It will proceed south out of the park on Esplanade to East Colfax Avenue, then west on Colfax to Sherman Street into the state Capitol grounds, and then across Broadway to Civic Center park. Motorized vehicles will proceed south on Broadway to 14th Avenue. The total distance is 5K. A salute to King immediately follows the Marade at Civic Center's Greek Theater.
The Commission will announce events celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. This year, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and renowned civil rights leaders will be honored with the national theme “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not A Day Off!” and the local theme “‘Til Victory is Won.”
Also in Denver:
Kaiser Permanente is hosting an MLK Day Health Fair from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Manual High School, 1700 E. 28th Ave. Services include wellness exams for children, PAP tests for women, pediatric-vision screenings, pediatric-hearing tests, immunizations for children, mammograms for women, and blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes screenings.