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Best Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations For The Family In LA


Martin Luther King Day is the perfect day to spend time with the entire family while learning about the contribution this civil rights leader made in America. In Los Angeles, there are several events honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace & Unity Parade Celebration
Parade begins: Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave and Anaheim St.
The celebration continues at: Martin Luther King, Jr. Park
Date: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
Hours: 10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
www.longbeach.gov

In the City of Long Beach, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace & Unity Parade Celebration is followed by a festive-filled program at Martin Luther King Park. After your family gets inspired by the parade, you can hang out at the park and enjoy music, food, craft and merchandise vendors plus a children and teen area.

Martin Luther King Day March And Parade In Los Angeles
(Getty Images)

Kingdom Day Parade
Begins at Martin L. King Blvd. and Western Ave.
Date: Monday, Jan. 16, 2012
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
www.kingdomdayparadecore-ca.org

Hundreds of thousands of people will unite for the annual Kingdom Day Parade, honoring the memory and work of this courageous and outspoken figure in American history. The parade includes floats, marching bands, military units, dance groups and horses.The Kingdom Day Parade in Los Angeles is followed by a family fun festival with food, music, dancing and other activities your tribe won't want to miss.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Los Angeles Academy Middle School
644 E. 56 St.
Los Angeles, CA 90011
(323) 238-1800
Date: Monday, January 16
Hours: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.; registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and lunch is provided.
www.cityyear.org

The Los Angeles Academy Middle School honors the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service. Volunteers will work on making this school a place where kids will want to come to learn and play. You and your family can volunteer to paint educational murals, create engaging games on the blacktop, build benches or plant green benches.

Beautify Arlington Gardens
Location: Arlington Gardens in Pasadena
295 Arlington Drive
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 441-4478
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15 and Monday, Jan. 16
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.
http://www.arlingtongardeninpasadena.org

Take your family and head to the Arlington Gardens in Pasadena to celebrate MLK Day with a day of volunteering in the fresh air. This public garden is maintained through the cooperation of local government and the community. The gardencounts on individual volunteers to keep what was formerly a vacant lot beautiful and inspiring year round.

The Autry Museum's Hands-On Experience
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
(323) 667-2000
Event Date: Monday, Jan. 16
Hours: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
www.theautry.org

Looking for a place to bring the entire family and commemorate MLK day with a fun with an educational twist? The Autry Museum's Hands-On Experience features a history lesson about African Americans in the West, a museum-wide scavenger hunt, and panning for gold.

MLK Day Operation Hanger Clean-up
Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum
961 W. Alondra Blvd.
Compton, CA 90220
(310) 618-1155
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 17
Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
www.tamuseum.org

Another way to celebrate the upcoming national Day of Service in honor of MLK is with Operation Hanger Cleanup at Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum (TAM). This is an opportunity to give back to your community in a way that interest you and your family by learning about the world of planes. Join other volunteers cleaning, painting and preparing the hangar at TAM's STEM lab while learning about topics like plane engineering, wind tunnels, and video game design. TAM's purpose is to improve the quality of life in Compton, by fighting poverty with education, and providing a safe haven for at-risk youth ages during after school and weekend hours 365 days.

Susan Hartzler helms Alpha Dog Public Relations, whose clients span the pet, travel and technology industries. Hartzler is the LA Pet Products Examiner and keeps track of both pet and family issues and topics for you!

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