Gannon University will host a series of public events in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

On Friday, Jan. 15 Gannon University’s Erie Chamber Orchestra will host its annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The performance, which will feature the Shiloh Baptist Church Choir and director Fredrick Dixon, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick Church, 130 East 4th St.

Gannon University’s Erie Chamber Orchestra is conducted and directed by Bruce Morton Wright. All concerts are free and open to the public. For more information, call 814-871-7755 or 814-871-5467.

On Sunday, Jan. 17 Gannon will host liturgies at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the University’s Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, 520 Peach St. At both liturgies, a special collection will be taken to benefit the Wiley-Horton Scholarship.

Gannon also will host several events on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 18. All are free and open to the public.

* From 9-10:30 a.m., Dr. Parris J. Baker, assistant professor and director, Gannon University social work program, will facilitate an interactive training and simulation titled, “Blessed are the Peacemakers: The Puzzling Pieces of Peacemaking.” The workshop will be held in room 219 of the University’s Waldron Campus Center, 124 West 7th St., and will illustrate social disorganization theory and strategies to address crime, persistent poverty, and community peacemaking. Registration is preferred; RSVPs can be directed to Arlene Montevecchio, director of Gannon’s Center for Social Concerns, at 814-871-7433.
* At 11 a.m., the University and the Student Government Association (SGA) will host a prayer service in the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel.
* At 11:30 a.m., the Martin Luther King Memorial Luncheon will be held in the Waldron Campus Center. Simple sandwiches will be served immediately after the prayer service and prior to the city-wide Memorial March.