Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday? Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of 11 federal holidays recognized in the United States. Are grocery stores open on MLK Day?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, and the Fayetteville area has organized several events in observance of the national holiday. In the days leading up to the Jan. 20 holiday, parades, church festivities and other events will be held in Cumberland County in memory of the civil rights leader. Here are some of the events planned in Fayetteville.

Celebrations of his life are already taking place throughout the country – including here on the South Shore – ahead of the holiday in his name that did not become federally observed until 1986, nearly 20 years after his 1968 assassination. Martin Luther King Jr. Day wasn't recognized as an official holiday until 2000.