2026 MLK Day Community Celebration Breakfast Jan. 19 in Galesburg

Maury Lyon, a long-time member of the organizing committee, joins Galesburg's Morning News to preview the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration Breakfast on Monday, January 19, at The Ascent Church, 169 S. Cherry St., in Galesburg. The event brings the community together for a meaningful observance of Dr. King's life and legacy, focusing on reflection and fellowship rather than commercialism. The morning includes a catered breakfast from Carl Sandburg College Culinary Arts, communal singing, readings from the junior high essay contest winners (this year on Thurgood Marshall's accomplishments), and a keynote address by DeAndre Henderson, Director of Alternative Programs for Rantoul City Schools, a former teacher at GHS North and a Knox College graduate. Doors open at 7 a.m., with the program starting at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Lyon discusses the committee's goal to keep Dr. King's principles alive and broaden the holiday's scope through the essay contest and community participation. The event remains one of Galesburg's longest-running holiday observances, drawing 100–125 people each year.