BATON ROUGE - Organizations in Baton Rouge and the surrounding area are honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with multiple events. 

On Jan. 20, which is nationally recognized as Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Day, the following events will take place:

Martin Luther King Fest

At 1 p.m. Governor John Bel Edwards will speak at the Martin Luther King Fest, which will be held on the lot across from the Renaissance Center (2783 Plank Road).

Blue Cross volunteers will package 80k meals for MLK Service Day

More than 250 Blue Cross employee volunteers (Team Blue) are packing 80K meals for capital-area residents who face food insecurity. 

Workers will kick off efforts from 2:30 - 4 p.m. on Monday and meet again to complete the work, Tuesday, from 10 - 11 a.m.

City of Baker Youth Performance

City of Baker Youth will lead a performance at the Baker Municipal Center (3325 Groom Road) to commemorate Dr. King's efforts.

The program's theme is "Fulfillment of the Dream."

The event begins at 10 a.m. 

Star Hill Baptist Church

Star Hill Baptist Church is sponsoring an MLK peace march that begins with a gathering at Star Hill Baptist Church (1400 North Foster Drive), which begins at 9:30 a.m.

The march will be led by persons who have lost loved ones to violence and bullying. The march will feature 'Beat the Streets' drumline and DJ Tony King as well as guest speaker, Dr. Wes Bellamy of Global Peace Equity. 

The march ends at 10:30 a.m. 

Martin Luther King Memorial Program at Opelousas General Health System

A Memorial Program will be held in the Main Campus Auditorium (539 East Prudhomme Opelousas, LA 70570) of Opelousas General Health System.

The program begins at 1 p.m. 

In addition to the aforementioned memorial events scheduled to take place in honor of Dr. King on Jan. 20, the City of Baton Rouge would like to notify residents that City-Parish services will be closed in observance of the national holiday. 

That said, citizens are reminded that residential garbage (both in-cart and out-of cart woody waste/bulky items) and recycling will be collected as normal. 

Additionally, the landfill will open as normal at 5:30 a.m., but may close earlier than the usual 5:00 p.m. depending on volume. 

The city asks that the scale house be contacted in advance at (225) 389-4813 for any disposals in the afternoon.