While Martin Luther King Jr. Day may have come and gone, there are still festivities and activities to look forward to in the MLK spirit this weekend. The Gateway Regional Arts Center (GRAC) in Mt. Sterling is offering three free classes including a pottery class, cooking class, and a reader’s theater, where participants will choose a role in a play and voice their characters’ lines.
Jordan Campbell, executive director of the GRAC, said they’re excited to kick off the year with their MLK program.
“It’s through a grant with AmeriCorps and an organization call The Arc, which infuses community services and incorporating people with disabilities into communities. And then we also have many community centers that we work with,” Campbell said. “DuBois Community Center, which is a community center for all of Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County and the region, but it’s also a black cultural center.”
Aside from the class activities, The Gateway Community Arts Center is requesting volunteers for their celebrations this weekend. GRAC is giving away books and helping package food for the Sterling Community Food Coalition.
Campbell said they are also accepting food donations, as food banks struggle the most this time of year.
“You can drop those off at the Gateway Arts Center in our lobby, we’ll have a box out for donations of condiments or any other nonperishable food items that are shelf stable,” Campbell said. “But we really are pushing for condiments to add a little flavor and a little spice into people’s lives in 2025.”
GRAC is also unveiling a multimedia art exhibit that focuses on the black contributions to the community of Montgomery County through the decades on Saturday. Registration for volunteering and the free classes along with a weekend schedule can be found at grackentucky.org.