Ames and Story County residents gathered at the Ames Auditorium Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated by Congress also recognized as a national day of service to honor the late civil rights leader and foster change in communities nationwide. On this day, Americans are encouraged to volunteer to improve their communities.

The event began with welcoming messages from the Story County and Iowa State representatives, including a greeting from Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen.

“It’s wonderful that the Ames community comes together to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday… I think the celebration is just so important,” Wintersteen said. “All of us together celebrating, and especially to have the children. They’re the future, and you build this knowledge about this great man through these types of events.”

Wintersteen also commented on the turnout of the event despite below-freezing temperatures.

“I think the turnout demonstrates people’s commitment… the families and the children, it’s just wonderful to everyone’s commitment to be here,” Wintersteen said.

After greetings from community members, the Ames Youth Choir Elementary students from Meeker and Edwards Elementary Schools performed for attendees. The students sang two songs about King, led by Ames music teacher Charles Grim.

Following the choir performance, several community members were recognized for their dedication to serving the community. Erik Anderson, a senior at Ames High School, was awarded for his winning essay.

The event also featured two video presentations, highlighting residents’ connection with King and his quotes.

The keynote speaker, George W. Trice, spoke about the legacy of King and the importance of what he stood for.

“Dr. King saw a need and felt it was his duty to fulfill it. By fulfilling that need to society, he filled a gap in front of himself,” Trice said.

George Trice also spoke about his cousin, Jack Trice, and the duty he had to fulfill while attending Iowa State.

“What you see with that statue and memorial is you see Jack holding his letter in his hands, you see scholarly books on the bench next to him and you see his football cleats behind him because he was a student,” Trice said. “He was a student first. That’s what he came here to do because he wanted to go back down south and teach ex-slaves how to sharecrop.”

Youth and Shelter Services founder and member of the 2024 MLK Day committee George Belitsos spoke about the Trice and the importance of community engagement.

“[George Trice] speaks with a lot of pride about Ames and what we have done to recognize the sacrifices of Jack Trice… We were considering making this all remote, but I’m glad we decided to go all the way. We have a tremendous turnout with a lot of competition,” Belistos said.

He also commented on the Republican Party’s choice to hold the caucuses on the holiday.

“We were upset that the caucuses were scheduled by the Republicans to take place on MLK Day because it really takes away from the focus of this very special holiday,” Belistos said.