MLK Day observed with dance, poetry and more at Edmonds Waterfront Center morning event

The Northside Step Team rocks the Edmonds Waterfront Center main stage Monday morning.
Lift Every Voice Legacy Founder and President Donnie Griffin greets participants.
The arts and crafts room gave kids an opportunity to channel creativity into projects themed to the day.
Volunteer Robin Ullman prepares an array of healthy-eating samples.
These tasting judges at the healthy eating workshop clearly approve of the fare.
In a special workshop on steel drum music, Gary Gibson of Steel Magic demonstrates the instruments.
Martial arts instruction Misha Carter leads an activity focused on self defense and being aware of your own private space.
Instructors from the Barclay Shelton Dance Studio provide dance instruction in a lively workshop.
The adults listen intently as children read aloud during the story-telling activity.
Poet and speaker Eva Abram leads the group in a participatory activity partially conducted in American Sign Language.
Grupo Folklorico Nuestras Raices dancers perform on stage.
Lift Every Voice Legacy Founder and President Donnie Griffin (R) pauses for a photo with Edmonds Waterfront Center CEO Daniel Johnson.
Eve Eliaseh, age 3, and her mom Jana get into the spirit at the dance workshop.

For the fifth straight year, the Edmonds-based Lift Every Voice Legacy (LEVL) joined hands with the community to celebrate the message and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Formerly held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, this year’s morning and evening programs were scheduled at the Edmonds Waterfront Center (EWC).

The free morning program — aimed at families and children — attracted an estimated 500 participants who filled the Waterfront Center to enjoy a potpourri of stage performances, workshops, food samples and arts and crafts activities.

Donnie Griffin, LEVL founder and president, was on hand to greet participants.

“I am humbled by the community’s continuing support of this event and Dr. King’s legacy,” he said.

“This is the first year the event has been held at the Waterfront Center, and we’ve filled every room,” added the center’s CEO, Daniel Johnson.  “I’m so proud that our facility can serve as the venue to bring the community together and keep Dr. King’s dream alive.”

The event is produced in partnership with the EWC, with major funding from the Hazel Miller Foundation.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel

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