VALDOSTA — The City of Valdosta will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with events to honor the civil rights leader. The Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Association will present various events scheduled through Jan. 15.

The celebration kicked off Monday with the Emancipation Proclamation Service at Irving Baptist Church.

Events to honor Dr. King will continue with the Third Annual MLK Commemoration Association Founders’ Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 6, the Commemoration March on Jan. 13, the Commemoration Program on Jan. 14, and the Youth Program on Jan. 15.

The MLK Commemoration Association was organized by Ruth Council 25 years ago with a group of community leaders and concerned citizens. This year the Third Annual MLK Commemoration Association Founders’ Banquet will be held at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The MLK March line-up starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Valdosta Board of Education parking lot at the corner of Slater and Ann Street and end at the MLK monument on South Ashley Street. Transportation will be provided back to the Board of Education after the march.

In the City Council’s December work session, designer John Jackson came from Memphis, Tenn., to talk to the Council about the MLK Corridor project that has been experiencing setbacks. The project that started with $1 million in funding has increased to $1.9 million funding due to an increase in adjacent areas. The MLK Corridor has grown to acquire six pocket parks that will convey different periods in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. The project will also lead up to a park at MLK and Ashley streets. The 53 sheets of design development documents display how the $1.9 million project will include the corridor, six pocket parks, focal point park, fountain, marketplace, sidewalks and landscapes to still include the MLK Memorial, where this year’s march will end.

On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Commemoration Program will take place at St. Paul AME Church at 3 p.m. The final calendar event for the 2007 MLK celebration, the Youth Program, will be held at Mathis City Auditorium on Jan. 15 at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon.