This coming Monday, Jan. 15, is the observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Citizens are encouraged to use this holiday as a day of volunteering and service to help improve their communities, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Families can volunteer together in any capacity to recognize this day.

Others can read about our nation’s history to better understand the values King stood for.

This is a federal holiday, so government agencies, banks and some corporations will be closed.

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Mark your calendar: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church will hold its 18th annual tricky tray for Feb. 17.

More information is to come on this event, which is always a fun and welcoming activity in the middle of winter.