Whats Happening: January 16-19

All across the area, events are taking place this weekend in honor of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. But that’s not all you can experience if you decide to brave the cold and head out.

The first of many Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations begins Friday. In Brunswick County, the three day event starts with a youth forum at 7:00 Friday night at the Ila Hall in Southport.

The Memorial March begins at 3:00 Sunday at Southport Elementary School, followed by a speech from the NC Human Relations Commission.

The events culminate Monday morning with a roundtable breakfast at Trinity United Methodist Church. The keynote speaker is Reverend Vernon King, Dr. King’s nephew. The roundtable starts at 8:00 a.m. and is ten dollars.

There are also many events taking place in New Hanover County.

Friday evening at 7:00 there will be a community reception at Thalian Hall.

Saturday, the NAACP will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast at 9:00 a.m. at Union Missionary Baptist Church. Then, from 1:00 to 4:00, the MLK Center will host a children’s event with games and activities.

The Martin Luther King Jr. parade begins Monday at noon at Fifth and Castle streets in downtown Wilmington.

You can read online about the explosive battle between Union and Confederate forces at Fort Fisher, or you can watch it unfold. Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the fort you can experience a re-enactment of the big Civil War battle. Also, Ft. Fisher Then and Now is a special 3-D show of Civil War photos. The show takes place at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tickets for that are three dollars for kids and five for adults.

A fundraiser for longtime sports editor of the Bladen Journal, Buddy Burney, will take place at the Dixie Youth Baseball Complex in Clarkton. Burney, a proponent of youth softball for 30 years, died Saturday after a battle with cancer. Money will help his family pay medical bills.

On Sunday, a feral cat sanctuary is getting some help from a local winery. Noni Bacca Winery is holding a wine tasting and raffle to raise money for the Ruffian Foundation. It takes place Sunday from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

You can always find out what’s happening by going to our Community Calendar page.