Ridgefield’s 26th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

A FREE EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY!

January 17, 2022 marks the 26th anniversary of Ridgefield’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, honoring the legacy of the great civil rights leader with an awards ceremony, speakers and performances. Each year as the community joins together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King, The Spirit of Dr. King Award is given to a Ridgefield resident for their outstanding commitment to service and selflessness. This year the award will be presented to Allison Stockel, Executive Director of The Ridgefield Playhouse. This free community event will feature performances by ACT of CT’S Daniel C. Levine and Bryan Perri, actress Kimberly Wilson, The Ridgefield Chorale, Ridgefield A Better Chance students, MoJazz Dance, Ridgefield’s poet laureate Barb Jennes, Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray and many others. This year’s celebration will be a hybrid of live and virtual performances, with attendees able to attend in person free of charge, or to watch live on the The Ridgefield Playhouse YouTube channel on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 17th beginning at 2pm.

Over the years, the town’s MLK Jr. Day celebration has changed and grown – from standing on the steps outside of the Community Center, to becoming a larger event in the basement of Town Hall, to becoming even more celebratory when moved to The Ridgefield Playhouse in 2013. The words of Martin Luther King Jr. have been reiterated and celebrated year after year.  The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968, but it wasn’t until 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names, or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.