Area churches and other agencies will be observing Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 15, with several of the organizations joining the day’s events with the theme “The year of the family.”

For the fourth year in a row Oak Grove Baptist Church on North Carolina 158 is holding a legacy program in honor of King.

The popularity of the event has grown over the past few years, posing a promising turn out this year.

“The church held last year’s celebration in their new sanctuary and it was really well attended,” said church member Ophelia Gould-Faison. The new sanctuary gave the church the ability to house close to 400 people at last year’s program.

This year’s event will be led by Pastor Dr. Charles McCollum.

Although it is the fourth year for the Legacy program, it is only the second year for the town’s Martin Luther King Day Parade. The parade will be held on Main Street in Littleton beginning at 10  a.m. Churches, schools, community agencies, clubs and organizations are invited to participate in the parade.

A service at Oak Grove Baptist will immediately follow at noon. Displays in the fellowship hall arranged by church members and outside organizations such as the Department of Social Services will be available for viewing. The displays are put together every year by organizations such as the American Cancer Society to help out needy families.

Refreshments will follow the noon service.

Local schools will also share the family focused theme as they take part in county-wide contests.

McIver Elementary in Littleton is participating in the elementary level drawing contest where the kindergarten through fifth grades students have the opportunity to create their own interpretation of “King and the Family.”

Students can enter their own creative drawings in the contest which should be more challenging for the students than last year’s color-in picture. Winners of the county-wide contest will be announced Monday.

Among the other agencies involved in Martin Luther King Day activities is Vance-Granville Community College. The college will be holding its annual gospel festival in the civic center on the main campus.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 11 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“Church gospel choirs from all over the area come to perform at the event every year,” said the college’s Andrew Beal.

Among the groups participating in this year’s program are the Shady Grove Community Choir, Oxford First Baptist Church, Crystal River Church of God and Spring Street Baptist Church.

Delano Rackard of Raleigh, who specializes in reading from the works of King, will be sharing some excerpts of his speeches.

Radio personality Ann Alston of Warren County’s WARR radio will lead the festival as the mistress of ceremonies. Admission is free.