Jan. 8. The Town of Davidson will observe Martin Luther King Day Jan. 20 in the Davidson Town Hall & Community Center Auditorium. Town offices will be closed all day in observance of the holiday.

The MLK event gets under way with music from the Cornelius Youth Orchestra Woodwind Ensemble at 9:30 a.m. with the program starting at 10.

The keynote speaker is Daniel Heath, associate chaplain and director of the Davidson Forum at Davidson College. The master of ceremonies is Harold E. Rice, CEO of the Ada Jenkins Center. Rev. Michael Flowers of Gethsemane Baptist Church will be this year’s guest speaker. Program participants include Rev. Ryan Atkinson of Davidson Presbyterian Church, Rabbi Becca Diamond from Temple Kol Tikvah, community member Chanda Dubose, and Dr. William McKenith, pastor at Reeves Temple AME Zion Church.

There will also be special performances by the Mt. Olive Liturgical Dance Ministry and passages read from “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by community members with an introduction led by Michelle Horton of Goodwill Industries of Southern Piedmont.