BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University will host the 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Gospel Festival Celebration on Monday, Jan. 19, from 3 to 8p.m. in the Westbrook Auditorium of Presser Hall (1210 Park St., Bloomington). This event, free and open to the public, honors the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Founded by the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington and Normal, a not-for-profit organization, and cosponsored by Illinois Wesleyan, the Gospel Festival was launched in 1991 by the late Corine G. Sims, who served as the executive director of the United Community Gospel Singers as a way to continue King’s legacy. The festival will feature several local choirs including, in order of performance: The United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington-Normal, Ill.; The Gayles Memorial Mass Choir from Aurora; The Fantastic Jones Family from Springfield; JAM (Jesus and Me) from Bloomington; and Malcolm Williams and the Voices of Great Faith, from Chicago.