St. Cloud State University to Host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration

(KNSI) – St. Cloud is spreading the celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior over the next week, starting tomorrow with Family Fun Day.

Event organizer Chocoletta Simpson tells KNSI News, “It’s wonderful multi-generational, family oriented festivities that includes planetarium shows and bowling this year. So it’s lots of fun for the whole family.” Some of the other events include the Great River Children’s Museum’s DinoBlocks activity. The United Way of Central Minnesota is also holding an Imagination Library event.

Sunday is MLK Spirit Day. It’s a Christian-focused event that speaks to the religious side of Dr. King. Simpson says the goal is to bring faith communities of all denominations together. The event is being hosted by Salem Lutheran Church on St. Cloud’s east end.

The main event is Monday’s 13th annual MLK Community Celebration Breakfast at the River’s Edge Convention Center. A community conversation will kick off the breakfast, along with the announcement of the 2025 MLK Celebration Humanitarian Award, Dexter R. Stanton Essay and Visual Art Contest winners, and a keynote address by education specialist Dr. Evelyn Hill, who is famous for her work on social justice and women’s rights. Registration for the event has closed.

On Wednesday, modern mentalist and magic performer Noah Sonie will perform at the Paramount Theatre starting at 7:00 p.m., blending telepathy and psychological intuition.

On Saturday, January 25th, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., there’s Empowering our Beloved Community, which is a financial class that will teach the basics of budgeting, the importance of building credit and what goes into a credit score. At 3:30 that afternoon, the SCSU Huskies will take on Southwest Minnesota State in the I Have A Dream Game. It’s free to get into Halenback Hall by donating a non-perishable food item.

Simpson says the goal is to help everyone understand Dr. King’s message needs to extend beyond the federal holiday. “We have this big week, but you know, we’re doing this all year round. The committee, the members and the volunteers are engaging all year round. And so, it’s really in the spirit of MLK, every day. And what every day means is every day, we’re doing something to make our community better.”

All the events are free. For more information, click here.

___