MLK festivities continue this weekend in Seguin

(Seguin) — The weather may slow down Monday’s plans to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day in Seguin, but that won’t be the case for the rest of the long weekend.The Seguin MLK Day Planning Committee says freezing temperatures have led to the cancellation of Monday’s Freedom March and MLK Observance in Central Park. But all the events scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are still on as planned. Two events are planned for 6:30 p.m. Friday. The first will be the Seguin ISD’s Musical Showcase in the Seguin High School Performing Arts Center. MLK committee member Linda Schuler says students from across the district will be showing off their talents as part of the event. She says you should come early, because there’s usually a packed house for this event. “The first time we had it, we were at the (Seguin) Coliseum, and we had set up 300 chairs. We eventually had to put out 200 more chairs, because the people really came out and supported it. It’s gotten bigger and bigger and bigger each year, which I am happy for, because we needed something for the kids and that was the reason basically why I wanted to start this choir showcase,” said Schuler.The Black Entrepreneurs Networking event will also be held on Friday night. The event, held in Tschoepe Hall at Texas Lutheran University, is a chance for businesspeople to get to know one another in an informal setting. Committee member Regina Lee says even though both events start at 6:30, they feel like they will attract two very different audiences. “We understand that it kind of seems like a conflict, but Friday night belongs to the kids. There are a lot of people in our community who don’t have children, or their children are gone away from home. So, maybe you have to mix and match, and decide what you want to do, but hopefully,  you don’t have that problem,” said Lee.On Saturday, activities get started at 10 a.m. at Pecan Town Books & Brews in downtown Seguin. The bookstore will be hosting an MLK Story Time event.  The annual MLK Banquet will be held on Saturday night in the Seguin Coliseum. The banquet is the only paid event. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased via a link on the group’s website or on the MLK Day Planning Committee’s Facebook page.  Guest speakers for the banquet include Katie Cunningham, Cibolo city councilwoman; George Green, former New Braunfels city councilman; and Michael Hart, pastor of Spirit Filled Family Church in Schertz.“This year, we’re going to speak on hope, love and unity. We have three great speakers doing that. They’re not going to speak for 30 minutes each. I promise you (that),” said Lee.The banquet gets started at 5:30 p.m., but the doors will officially open at 4 p.m. for a social hour.The schedule continues on Sunday afternoon. A Gospel Fest, featuring the Seguin Community Choir and others, will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday in TLU’s Wupperman Little Theater.The Community Choir is a labor of love for members of the MLK Committee. Lee and Schuler say you’ll enjoy the local choir and a special performance by a choir from Texas State University. “You are going to be really entertained, and you’re going to really enjoy it and really feel uplifted. That’s the whole purpose of this. We did leave that to the younger people. (Committee members) Herman Lampkin and Derric Bogany are kind of overseeing that. This is not about political lines. It’s not about color lines. It’s about opening mouths – if you like to sing and want to sing. The choir is diverse…and we’re (also) going to be so blessed to have the Texas State Choir coming down,” said Lee.This year’s celebration was expected to carry-over into Monday’s federal MLK Day holiday, but the weather has once again led to a change of plans.The committee announced Thursday that Monday’s activities have all been canceled due to the colder weather that’s expected to hit on Monday morning. The cancellation means that there will not be a Freedom March on Monday, and the MLK program in Central Park has also been canceled. Temperatures are expected to be in the 20’s on Monday, with wind chill readings in the teens. Organizers say it’s just too cold to allow those outdoor activities to continue.They say they are heartbroken, because this is the second year in a row that the march and program have been canceled because of freezing conditions.

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