MONROE -- Union County’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee is sponsoring a number of festivities for the national holiday, celebrated Monday.

The 17th annual Community Gospel Songfest is today at 6 p.m. at Nicey Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Wingate. All choirs and praise teams are invited to participate.

Everyone is invited to downtown Monroe on Sunday to see the MLK Holiday Parade at 3 p.m. An interdenominational worship service will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church near Waxhaw.

The committee’s main fundraiser, the MLK prayer breakfast, is Monday at Wingate University’s LaVerne Banquet Hall. Keynote speaker the Rev. Clifford Jones, pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, will speak at 6 a.m. The event sells out each year.

At noon Monday, groups, soloists and dancers can compete in the MLK talent competition at Monroe’s Winchester Center Gym and Bazemore Center. The event is free and open to all area students. A light meal will be provided. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.

For information on any events, call 704-289-1906.