AUSTIN, Texas — For the past 31 years, community members have gathered in Downtown Austin on the third Monday of January to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
However, with our current forecast for sub-freezing winter weather, the Annual Community March in Austin has been canceled and the festival and food drive have been rescheduled to a later date.
The updates about the Austin event were posted online and to Facebook on Thursday, Jan. 11, by event host Austin Area Heritage Council, which strives to celebrate Austin's diverse cultures.
The march, which has now been canceled, was set to begin with a brief program at 9 a.m. at the University of Texas at Austin's MLK Statue, located near the E.P. Schoch Building. Attendees planned to march to the Texas State Capital's south steps, located at 1100 Congress Ave., where a rally was set to take place.
Those interested in attending the MLK Community Festival can do so from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Huston-Tillotson University. The event will feature music, various vendors and a chance to donate to the Central Texas Food Bank. The food bank is asking for donations of canned goods, beans, cereal, pasta sauce, peanut butter and other items.
Parking for the festival will be available at no cost at the following locations:
- State’s Visitors Garage (12th and San Jacinto streets)
- Kealing Middle School (1607 Pennsylvania Ave.)
- Holy Cross Catholic Church (1610 E. 11th St.)
- Blackshear Elementary (1712 E. 11th St.)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church (1206 E. Ninth St.)
- Mt. Olive Baptist Church (1800 E. 11th St.)
Meanwhile, in an announcement on Sunday, the City of Leander also postponed its march and celebration event. The Leander event will now be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A memorial dedication event in San Marcos was also postponed. In Georgetown, a MLK Prayer Breakfast event was canceled due to weather considerations.