By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

Peachtree City will be the first municipality in Fayette County to have an official event honoring the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when a 70th birthday ceremony for the slain civil rights leader is conducted Monday morning at City Hall.

The city is planning the 11 a.m. ceremony in conjunction with the Fayette County NAACP to recognize the contributions King made to all humanity in his struggle for civil rights and racial equality. Peachtree City is the first administration in Fayette County to recognize and formally celebrate the holiday.

Mayor Bob Lenox, Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin and Fayette NAACP President the Rev. Edward J. Johnson announced the event in a Dec. 16 press conference.

The holiday was designated in 1986, making King the only American other than George Washington whose birthday is considered a national holiday. “King remains one of the few social leaders honored with a holiday on an international level,” according to a written statement issued by the city.

Johnson said last week that he hopes to have a special guest who worked with King speak at the ceremony.

“Many people only think of it [the holiday] as a day off, if their companies give them a day off,” said Johnson.

All Fayette County residents are encouraged to attend.