The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center will celebrate the 25th annual West End Community Day later this month with a day of activities, music and community gathering outside the center on North Centre Avenue.
The Aug. 22 event, created by MLK Community Center Director Patrick Morris, began as a way to highlight the center and the West End community. Over the years, the celebration has grown into an annual tradition that brings residents together for a block party-style event.
“I was looking around and I saw that Rockville Centre would close off streets for St. Patrick’s Day Parade and different events,” Morris said. “I wanted something to shed light on MLK and the Western community, so I came up with Community Day.”
The annual celebration will continue the tradition of turning the area outside the center into a neighborhood gathering place, with entertainment and activities planned for attendees of all ages.
“We have inflatable rides for the kids,” Morris said. “We have the platform showmobile. We have a DJ, a live band, play music, food and everything is free.”
The event will also continue a tradition of providing commemorative shirts to attendees. Morris said the shirts have become an important part of the celebration and a way for people to feel connected to the event.
“We give out shirts as a memorabilia where it says ‘Annual Community Day,’” Morris said. “And this year happens to be the 25th annual.”
The milestone year is expected to mark a special celebration for a community event that has continued to bring people together. Morris said the growth of Community Day is reflected in the number of people who return each year, including former residents who have moved away.
“People who moved away come back,” Morris said. “So it’s like a reunion with the live band we started two or three years ago.”
In recent years, the live music portion of Community Day has become a key attraction, with adults gathering with chairs in the street to enjoy performances. The band that performed at last year’s event was Malika-Mo & The Band of Soul.
“The adults come out with their chairs and sit in the street and listen to the music,” Morris said. “So it’s definitely grown.”
Morris said the event has become something residents anticipate each year, with the commemorative shirts serving as another connection between attendees and the celebration.
“Everyone looks forward to it, especially the shirts,” Morris said. “Like I went out, I got to order shirts, more shirts every year. Because they’re just going to be connected and be a part of it.”
As West End Community Day reaches its 25th year, the celebration continues to provide an opportunity for neighbors, families and residents to gather outside MLK Community Center and take part in a tradition that Morris created to recognize community it serves.
