Events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. rescheduled for Saturday

Two events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. that were canceled because of expected inclement weather last month have been rescheduled and will take place on Saturday.

The Johnson County King celebration begins at 1 p.m. at Blue Valley North High School, 12200 Lamar Ave. Johnson County District Judge Rhonda Mason will serve as the mistress of ceremony for the annual event. Earlier this year, Mason became the county’s first African-American judge. Educator Carl Boyd will be the keynote speaker.

The program theme is “The Dream — What Matters Today” and will feature singers, dancers and musical artists.

The event is free and open to the public.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. statewide celebration will be held at 6:30 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church, 5540 Wayne Ave. It’s free and open to the public.

Kirk A. Nooks, president of Metropolitan Community College-Longview, will be the keynote speaker. The program will feature an assortment of musical, dance and other performances. Jazz artist Max Grove and singer Angela Hagenbach are among those scheduled to appear.

This year’s theme for the statewide celebration is “A Right Delayed Is a Right Denied: Championing for Justice for All.”

A host of King-related observances, church services and other community events were canceled after the National Weather Service predicted widespread freezing rain to the Kansas City region.

However, the inclement weather was not as severe as predicted.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. rescheduled for Saturday."