What’s open, closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The following is a roundup of special observances and what’s open and closed Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Check entries below for events in Dover, Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine.

Monday is a federal holiday and federal buildings, including all post offices, will be closed. All state offices in Maine and New Hampshire will be closed. Many city halls and town offices are closed, however, some will remain open. Most area banks are closed for the day. Some schools in New Hampshire will be open Monday while others are closed for the holiday. Changes in trash collection are noted below.

ALTON — The town office will be open, but schools are closed.

BARRINGTON — Town offices and schools will be closed.

BERWICK, Maine — Town Hall and school will be closed.

DOVER — City Hall and schools will be closed. Trash collection will not be affected.

An interfaith observance titled "Our Changing Diversity" will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Locust Street. The observance is organized by the Dover Cooperative Ministries Council and the Dover Area Religious Leader Association. World music will be performed by Randy Armstrong, with vocal selections by the Dover High School mixed chorus. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. David Slater, senior minister of First Parish Church in Dover. Other speakers will be Charlotte Wood, past president of the local NAACP chapter and a diversity consultant at McIntosh College, and Chabaz Azarkadeh, a member of the Baha’i community of Durham. Students of the Atlantic Culinary Academy will provide refreshments after the celebration.

DURHAM — Town offices and schools are closed Monday. The Town Council meeting will be held in council chambers at 7 p.m.

The University of New Hampshire will honor Martin Luther King Jr. as follows on Jan. 27-30:

q On Jan. 27, an interfaith service will begin at 7 p.m. at Durham Community Church;

q On Jan. 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Drumming for Justice Block Party will be held in the food court at the Memorial Union Building. The event features food and live entertainment. A family celebration, "Children Learn Together," will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Strafford Room of the Memorial Union Building. Children and their families will learn about King’s life through art and learning projects. There also will be entertainment and a birthday cake;

q On Jan. 29 at 2:30 p.m., professor Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law School will join panelists in the Memorial Building’s Theatre II for a dialogue titled "Hate Words: Thinking Together About Language and Oppression"; at 7 p.m., Kennedy will give a presentation titled "The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr." in Johnson Theatre at Paul Creative Arts Center;

q On Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be a community service fair in the Strafford Room of the Memorial Union Building.

ELIOT, Maine — Town offices and schools will be closed.

EPPING — Schools will be closed, but town offices are open.

EXETER — Schools and town offices will be open Monday.

FARMINGTON — Schools will be open, but Town Hall and the landfill are closed.

GREENLAND — Town Hall and Central School will be closed.

HAMPTON — Town Hall and schools will be closed. Monday’s and Tuesday’s trash pickup will be on Tuesday.

HAMPTON FALLS — Town Hall and schools will be closed.

KITTERY, Maine — Town offices and schools will be closed.

A special service will be held at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, starting with a potluck supper at 6 p.m.

LEBANON, MAINE — Town offices and schools will be closed.

LEE — Town offices and schools will be closed.

MADBURY — Town offices and schools will be closed.

MIDDLETON — Schools will be open, but Town Hall is closed.

MILTON — Town offices, the transfer station and schools will be closed.

NEW CASTLE — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NEW DURHAM — Town offices are closed, but schools will be open.

NEWFIELDS — Schools and town offices will be open Monday. Trash pickup will not be affected.

NEWINGTON — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NEWMARKET — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NORTH BERWICK, Maine — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NORTH HAMPTON — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NORTHWOOD — Town offices and schools will be closed.

NOTTINGHAM — Town offices and schools will be closed.

PORTSMOUTH —City offices and schools will be closed. Trash collection will take place Monday as scheduled. The recycling center will be closed for the holiday.

New Hope Baptist Church, Seacoast Peace Response and the New Hampshire Peace Action & War Resisters League will hold a peace rally at New Hope Baptist Church on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Rev. Arthur Hilson, Tom Jackson and Nabil Migalli will speak. For more information, call 781-8623.

The Baha’is of the Greater Seacoast will host a devotional meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Women’s City Club, 375 Middle St. This month’s program, which will include music, readings and prayers, will be an observance of World Religion Day and a celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. All are welcome and no donations will be taken. Because of the facility’s constraints, children must stay with their parents during the meeting. For more information, call 433-5528 or e-mail portsmouthbahai@attbi.com.

The Seacoast Martin Luther King Coalition will hold its 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Monday at Yoken’s Conference Center on Route 1. Lyonel Tracy, Portsmouth’s superintendent of schools, will be the speaker and local students will read essays. The cost is $15 for adults and $8 for students. Individuals and organizations can underwrite a student table of eight for $65. Reservations can be made by calling Nate Holloway at 427-0443 or Gerry Copeland at 430-8472.

City Year will hold a day of celebration, education, service and reflection with Gov. Craig Benson on Monday. The March for Justice schedule is as follows: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., registration and poster making at Portsmouth Middle School; 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a rally with City Year and Benson; 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., a march beginning and ending at the middle school; a service celebration from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a volunteer service fair; 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., lunch and travel to service projects; 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., service projects at various locations.

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre will hold the fifth annual "Set The House On Fire" gospel concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. The performers include Roy "Sweet Roy" Jones, Varnetta and Samantha Vaughns, Patrice Richardson, Pete Peterson, Chris Tian, Lynn Meleady, Sharon Abrams, T.J. Wheelers’ Funky River Band, and Michael Henderson. Also, Pastor Conley Hughes will read an excerpt from "Letters From A Birmingham Jail." The Portsmouth Women’s Chorus and United Voices choir will perform. For more information, call the Seacoast Repertory Theatre box office at 433-4472 or 800-639-7650.

On Jan. 26 at 4 p.m., New Hope Baptist Church and the New England Southern Christian Leadership Conference present their annual Martin Luther King Jr. service with special guest preacher Virgil A. Wood of Pond Street Baptist Church in Providence, R.I.

ROCHESTER — City Hall and schools will be closed. Trash collection will not be affected.

ROLLINSFORD — Town Hall, schools and the transfer station will be closed.

RYE — Town Hall and schools will be closed.

SOMERSWORTH — City Hall and schools will be closed.

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Town offices and schools will be closed.

STRAFFORD — Town Hall and schools will be closed.

STRATHAM — Town Hall will be closed Monday, but Stratham Memorial School is open.

WAKEFIELD — Town Hall and schools will be closed.

WOLFEBORO — Town Hall and the transfer station will be closed, but schools are open.

YORK, Maine — Town offices and schools will be closed. Trash collection will be delayed one day all week.

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