MLK celebration has musical theme

First Presbyterian Church in Shawano will hold its 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day community celebration Monday. “Music for the Journey” will feature five musicians sharing the music that inspires them. “We have not done a musical theme for Martin Luther King Day,” Pastor Susan Phillips said. “Music is one of those things that draw a community together.” Phillips said she believes strongly that a community that sings and enjoys music together is a community that stays together. There will also be readings from essays King wrote while he served time in a Birmingham, Alabama, jail in the 1960s. Through the music and presentations, the program will honor the life of the late civil rights leader and his legacy of fighting for racial equality, human rights, economic justice and peace. Wade Fernandez, of Keshena, and four others with local ties will perform: Clinton Miller, Skip Jones, Pasquale Cervantez and Dorothy Zerbe. “One of the things that we do is invite people from the community. All five have Shawano connections,” Phillips said. Fernandez has spoken at the MLK event previously but will perform for the first time. He plays rock and roll music derived from his Menominee Indian Reservation roots. Miller was born in Antigo and raised on the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservation near Bowler. His music is influenced by Welsh indie rockers and blues artists. Jones has performed at folk music festivals for more than 20 years. Zerbe’s training includes a lifetime of classical and sacred/spiritual in piano and voice. Cervantez was born in Mexico and relocated to Shawano. His music is based on his personal experiences. The event, which draws up to 200 people annually — depending on the weather, is free and open to the public. “It started small and it grew, but it’s January, so you never know,” said Phillips, who added that the program one year drew a standing-room-only crowd. After the performances, volunteers will serve a variety of soups, including chicken and dumpling, a hot and sour Asian medley, wild rice and a Mexican blend of beans and sausage, along with a vegetarian mix. Six to 12 volunteers help coordinate the event each year. The federal government declared Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday 30 years ago.