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ON THE
AGENDA
MEETINGS
Decatur City Commission will meet
Jan. 2 and Jan. 16 at City Hall, 509 North
McDonough St., at 7:30 p.m. Visit
decaturga.com for more.
Old Fourth Ward Business
Association will meet Jan. 24,6 p.m. at
Dad's Garage, 569 Ezzard St. Visit ow4ba.
com for more.
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Alliance
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Midtown Alliance will hold its annual
meeting on Feb. 13,7 a.m. at the Fox
Theatre with keynote by transportation
expert Janette Sadik-Khan. Tickets are
available now at midtownatl.com.
NEWS
EMORY
UNIVERSITY
Emory
University,
Centerfor
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC)and
Children’s
Healthcare of
Atlanta will officially become part of the
City of Atlanta on Jan. 1. The Atlanta City
Council approved the annexation at its
December meeting.
A second implosion at the Georgia Dome
on Dec. 20 took down Gate Band the East
Wall there were still standing afterthe initial
implosion on Nov. 20. Cleanup is underway
and expected to be completed by winter's
end.
The Atlanta City Council has incorporated
the Buckhead master plan, branded as
"BUCKHEAD REdeFINED," into the city's
official development plan after a vote last
month.
The city has adopted the eCitation device,
a wireless mobile application that allows
Atlanta Police officers to create, print and
electronically transmit traffic citations to the
Atlanta Municipal Court. DU
The Dream Lives On
A guide to Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday events around Intown
Martin
Luther
,_J<jNG JR.
VV DAY
By Collin Kelley
There will be a multitude of events
to mark the upcoming Martin Luther
King Jr. Holiday on Jan. 15. This year also
marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s
assassination in Memphis. Be sure to visit
AtlantaINtownPaper.com for even more
events related to the holiday.
The King Center
The annual commemorative service will
take place on Monday, Jan. 15, from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Horizon Sanctuary at
Ebenezer Baptist Church. The guest speakers
for the event had not been announced at
press time. The King Center will also host the
annual “Salute To Greatness” gala on Jan. 13
at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown. For more
information, visit TheKingCenter.org.
The MLK March & Rally
The King Day March, also set for
Monday, Jan. 15, will begin at 1:45 p.m. The
march will begin at Peachtree Street and Baker
Street before heading south on Peachtree to
Auburn Avenue and on to Jackson Street.
Leading up to the event, the MLK March
Committee will observe King Week from Jan.
7 to 15 with a series of worship services, youth
conference and more. See the full schedule at
mlkmarchcommittee.com.
Children’s Museum of Atlanta
The Downtown museum will mark the
King Holiday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with
events including a reader’s theater, science
show, storytime, art studio and build it lab.
Visit childrensmuseumofatlanta.org for full
details.
MLK Day 5K
The annual walk/run will be held Jan.
15 starting at 8 a.m. in Piedmont Park with
the start and finish at 10th Street near Park
Tavern. The USATF certified race course and
Peachtree Road Race qualifier will be run on
grass, road, gravel, wooden bridge and dirt
paths through the park. There will also be a
3.1-mile drumline all along the race course.
To register and for more information, visit
mlkday5k.com.
Atlanta History Center
There will be free admission to the Atlanta
History Center and the Margaret Mitchell
House at Atlanta History Center Midtown
in honor of Martin Luther King Day, and
featuring special programming that highlights
the contributions of African-Americans in
Atlanta. This year features a special film
screening and conversation about “A Trek
to the River’s Edge” with the filmmaker
and student leaders of the Atlanta Student
Movement at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. For the
full schedule of events and activities, visit
AtlantaHistoryCenter. com.
Alliance Theater
The Alliance will present “Native Guard,”
an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning
collection of poetry by former U.S. Poet
Laureate Natasha Trethewey. This production,
which will be held at the Atlanta History
Center in Buckhead, juxtaposes Trethewey’s
experiences with her African-American
mother and Caucasian father living in 1960s
Mississippi with that of the African-American
Union troop in the Civil War. The production
runs Jan. 13 to Feb. 4. Visit alliancetheatre.org
for tickets and information.
Atlanta Symphony
Renowned soprano Kathleen Battle
will give a performance of “Kathleen Battle:
Underground Railroad — A Spiritual Journey”
with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor Chelsea Tipton II will lead the
celebration of the life and legacy Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., featuring the Morehouse
and Spelman College Glee Clubs. The
event will be held Friday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m. at
Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Art Center.
Visit atlantasymphony.org for tickets and
information. LLl]
Bang On
Fitness and fellowship at MLK Day 5K Drum Run
By ClareS. Richie
This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, don’t
sleep in. Lace up your running shoes and
join more than 2,000 Atlantans at the MLK
Day 5K Drum Run in Piedmont Park. The
walk/run, which starts and finishes near Park
Tavern across 10th Street from Grady High
School, has a motivating vibe from more than
200 drummers and is a Peachtree Road Race
qualifier. Music starts at 8 a.m. with the 5K
line-up at 8:45 a.m. and a roaring post-race
party.
“It’s about inspiring fitness and fellowship.
People want to do something positive to
celebrate this holiday,” said race co-founder
Chip Owens. “With the day off from work
and school, this is a perfect opportunity to
bring the community together and great jump
start to the New Year.”
The idea sprang from Owens’ Peachtree
Road Boot Camp, which always drew its
largest crowd on MLK Day. Owens was
surprised to learn there was no other race that
day.
“I grew up in Atlanta and ran my first
Peachtree Road Race in 1977. There’s a race
for everything — Fourth of July, New Year’s
Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day — we can
go on and on. But there was no MLK race,”
Owens reflected.
So, Owens and Herman Mannings
III co-founded the race in 2012 with 800
participants and 20 drummers at the finish
line. This year, the 200-plus student drumline
promise to propel runners forward.
The idea for including drums came to
Owens when he saw Grady High School
student drummers, led by their band director
Brian Cook, perform on the Atlanta BeltLine.
Cook and his Grady student
drummers have participated in
the race since the beginning.
The drums were fitting
“because Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. was a drum major for
justice and peace,” Mannings
III said. Once word spread that
the race provided a donation
to band booster clubs, the
race soon boasted drummers
from Atlanta Public Schools,
Gwinnett and DeKalb.
“Grady expects to have 40
kids come out this year. I want the community
to know that we are here to support the
neighborhood. The kids love it because they
can mingle and play with other drumlines,”
Cook said. He’ll use the race funds to buy more
equipment, like drumheads that cost $50 a
piece.
Drummers aren’t the only ones with whom
Owens and Mannings III share race proceeds.
Each approved “team,” such as a school, church
or community organization, receives $5 per
registrant linked to their team.
“In other words, if 100 people register
under Team X, we will send a check for $500
to Team X’s organization,” Owens explained.
“Turner bought 100 registrations in one phone
call. And $500 went to Back on My Feet,”
a nonprofit that helps homeless Atlantans
through running and support services.
Rather than pay thousands of dollars for an
email list to promote the MLK Day 5K Drum
Run, Owens generates interest through this
innovative fundraising model. Since 2012, the
race has redistributed $25,000 to “teams” and
$20,000 to school drum boosters clubs.
The race also provides volunteer
opportunities for individuals and community
groups. “We are able to produce this race
every year with a dynamic corps of race day
volunteers,” Mannings III stated.
Swag for the runners/walkers include long-
sleeved shirts, free professional photography,
free ice skating at Park Tavern’s Southwest Rink
and other goodies.
Mannings III, a Morehouse College
graduate who grew up in Birmingham,
Alabama with a family deeply involved in the
civil rights movement, expanded the MLK Day
5K Drum Run to his hometown last year.
“I felt honored to bring the race to
Birmingham’s historic Civil Rights District,”
Mannings III said. “It’s the first race of the
year in Birmingham, bringing together diverse
participants and providing resources to local
school bands and community organizations.”
The race now has a good foothold in two
Southern cities.
“In the spirit of this holiday, we’re building
a legacy within our beloved communities to
inspire people through fitness and fellowship.
Chip and I are a product of the dream Dr. King
envisioned,” Mannings III said.
For more information, visit MLKDay5K.
org. 3
8 January 2018 | ITT
AtlantalNtownPaper.com