News

MLK Jr. celebration is Monday, city, county offices closed

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 18, 2026

The 2026 Unity Breakfast Celebration is planned for Monday at the Blue Ridge Conference Hall at BRCC, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast Committee announced.

Doors for the event will open at 8 a.m., with a catered breakfast provided at 8:15 a.m. and the program at 9 a.m.

This year’s celebration focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

Breeana Clayton, Henderson County public school’s Beginning Teacher of 2022-23, will serve as emcee. The celebration will host music by the “Sax Man Ray Mapp” and a clarinet performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Christopher Wilson. Hendersonville City Council member Melinda Lowrance will announce the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics Poetry Contest winners. Additionally, Citlally Diaz-Mar, the Boys & Girls Club 2025 North Carolina Youth of the Year, will share her experiences in leadership and her hopes for the future.

Following the breakfast and program, the 11th annual Martin Luther King Day Service Project to pack food bags for families will take place at noon Monday, Jan. 19, in Stillwell Hall at St. James Episcopal Church.
At the church, community volunteers fill family-sized bags of dried beans and rice for the Storehouse following a short presentation in honor of Dr. King. According to the Storehouse staff, the literal ton of food sent over annually helps tremendously in tiding over our food insecure neighbors. Last year more than 950 meals were bagged in about 45 minutes as many hands make light work.

Tickets to the Unity Breakfast Celebration, $15 for adults and $5 for youth under 18, can be purchased through the Community Foundation of Henderson County’s website, or at its office at 401 N. Main Street, Suite 300. Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

City and county offioces closed

City offices will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be no collection of garbage, recycling, and brush. Collection for Monday customers will be delayed by one week with collection resuming on Monday, Jan. 26. 

All Henderson County local government offices and agencies, animal services, all branches of the Henderson County Public Library, Solid Waste including the Transfer Station and Convenience Center and the Henderson County Courthouse will also close in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. Emergency services will not be disrupted on January 19. All Henderson County parks are open 365 days a year.

All Henderson County offices and agencies, Animal Services, all branches of the public library, Solid Waste including the Transfer Station and Convenience Center, and the Henderson County Courthouse will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday.