Around Burke for the week of Jan. 17

NAACP Burke County celebrates the birthday and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today through Monday. The 34th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Banquet will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Morganton Community House. The keynote speaker is Damon Hewitt, president and executive director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Washington, D.C. Hewitt is the husband of Melissa Johnson, the daughter of Betsy Johnson and the late Walter Johnson of Morganton. Walter R. Johnson Middle School is named in her father’s honor. The Community Worship Service is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 18, at 4 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Valdese; Rev. Wesley Hendrix, pastor. The guest speaker will be Rev. Douglas B. Bynum, pastor of St. James AME Church, Asheville. NAACP Burke County will conclude the celebration with an MLK Oratorical Contest on Monday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m. at Willowtree AME Church, Rev. Anthony Radcliff, pastor. Students in middle school grades (6-8) and high school grades (9-12) are invited and encouraged to participate in the Oratorical Contest. Tickets to the banquet are $45. For more information, call President Alicia Connelly, 828-430-0527; Membership Chair Mary Wright, 828-403-7486; or Banquet Chair Barbara Myers, 828-205-7405.

The Introduction to Beekeeping course begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Burke County Agricultural Building. The course continues on Tuesdays through March 17. Each session is two hours. The $25 registration fee includes a one-year membership to the local and state beekeepers associations and a six-month mentoring group to prepare your bees for their first winter. For more information or to register, call the NC Cooperative Extension Burke County Center, 828-764-9480.

The Glen Alpine Fire Department is hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Attendance helps the fire department continue to provide essential services to the Glen Alpine community and maintain the equipment the department relies on for emergencies. On the menu will be freshly made pancakes with syrup and butter, bacon, sausage, and hot coffee, juice, and milk. Local delivery is available for orders of 10 or more. The breakfast is $10 for adults and $5 for children younger than 12. Donations will also be accepted. Breakfast will be served at the fire department, adjacent to Glen Alpine Town Hall, at 103 Pitts St.

Patricia Cooper Baker, children’s book author, will speak at the History Museum of Burke County on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m. The topic is “We, the People: How North Carolinians got their Dander up Enough to Win a War.” How did news of events in Boston reach backwoods North Carolina and other remote corners of the South? How could events so far away even reach us, much less make us mad enough to put our lives, homes, and fortunes on the line and take up arms? The author will answer those questions and more. The event is free. The museum is located at 201 W. Meeting St.