Plant City Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival

 

January 13th - 16th, 2012

 

Celebrating 26 Years…….

The first festival was held January 1986 in celebration of President Reagan signing a bill in 1983 designating the third Monday of January as a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Improvement League of Plant City, Incoproated is the organizer and host of this festival located in Plant City, Florida. The Improvement League of Plant City, Inc., is a local 501c3 public charitable (non-profit) organization founded in 1982 by the late Mr. Jeremiah Bailey to provide educational, social and cultural resources to empower the community.

A four-five day cultural event held in Plant city during the week leading up to the Dr. King Federal Holiday. Activities start on Thursday and ends on the federal holiday "Monday".

Event activities starting in 1985 initially included; a reception, parade, vendors, memorial service and leadership breakfast. The success of the event lead to other activities being added such as a step show, carnival rides, music/live entertainment, art exhibits, forums, senior citizen luncheon and of course NOW the Bing Rooming House African American Museum.

Volunteers from the Improvement League of Plant City, Inc., organize and put this event together each year. Programs hosted and operated by the Improvement Leauge:

Striving for Excellence Academy After-School and Summer Program

Annual Let's Talk About It Teen Conference

Computer Lab

Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner

College Scholarships

Plant City Bing Rooming House Museum (Education)

 

Other programs supported by the Leauge in partnership with other organizations

Plant City Eagles Youth Football & Cheerleading Program (NFL YFF)

Bealsville, Inc. (Glover School)

 

 

The Plant City MLK Festival reports its activities each year to the King Center in Atlanta.  Here is a portion of the King Center's purpose/mission of the MLK Holiday below-------

The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all a day of service. All across America on the Holiday, his followers perform service in hospitals and shelters and prisons and wherever people need some help. It is a day of volunteering to feed the hungry, rehabilitate housing, tutoring those who can't read, mentoring at-risk youngsters, consoling the broken-hearted and a thousand other projects for building the beloved community of his dream.

 

 

Welcome from our President, Liesta Sykes…….

Greetings!

On behalf of the Improvement League of Plant City, MLK Festival organizers, volunteers and partners, I would like to take this moment to invite you to join us in celebrating cultural diversity. The African American experience provides an opportunity for people of all colors, and backgrounds to gain knowledge and understanding involving black culture.

This year we celebrate 26 years in addition to a major change for the MLK Festival.

This year we also celebrate our continuing partnership (3 years now) and collaboration with the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival "Celebrating the Heart & Soul" of Tampa Bay. Various cultural celebrations and activities are held throughout Tampa Bay's cities (Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Plant City) during the month of JANUARY. We encourage residents and those traveling from abroad to check out all of the list of activities by visiting TBBHF website.

Despite economic challenges the City of Plant City, local businesses and residents have reinforced their support of this cultural event.

Victim of our own success! Hosting cultural events in the City of Plant City and surrounding Tampa Bay area has increased since we first initiated the Plant City MLK Festival 26 years ago. Our festival format has been adopted and duplicated by a number of other organizations as a successful model. The Improvement League will continue to "set" the standard with the Plant City MLK Festival and offer the best yearly cultural experience during the month of January working jointly with Tampa and St. Petersburg.

The Plant City MLK Parade last year was privilege to have a record five school bands and very diverse line up of parade participants to include the East Hillsborough Twirlettes.

This event could not be held without the support of our sponsors and supporters. In light of the economic climate, this festival continues to receive the support to promote cultural diversity. I would encourage that we all make "note" of those supporters and solicit their businesses to ensure survival of those who care about communities.

Thank you,

Liesta Sykes