Martin Luther King Jr. Day is quickly approaching and Americans from all corners of the nation will be gathering for events and celebrations.

In Alabama, a pair of events in Athens will highlight the day with the first one being at Athens-Limestone Dr.

"A march will lineup at 9:30 a.m. on the south side of the courthouse and begin at 10 a.m," Alabama website Al.com says. "Marchers will end at the Limestone County Event Center for a program where students will read their winning essays. Refreshments will be served after the program."

The other event that will be taking place will be on Monday, Jan. 20 at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church on Westmoreland Avenue, according to Al.com.

"Guest speaker will be the Rev. Edward O. Jackson from Greater New Antioch Baptist Church in Birmingham. The Round Island Creek Association Male Chorus will perform. The committee will present the Dr. C. Eric Lincoln Humanitarian of the Year Award. Lunch will be provided after the program."

Alabama, however, is not the only state that will be featuring MLK events. The city of Greensboro in North Carolina will have their 25th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade. The parade will take place on Monday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. and will begin on Martin Luther King Jr. drive in Greensboro, WFMY News 2 HD reports.

According to MLKday.gov, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 20 "empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a beloved community."

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 1983 and in 1994 Congress officially designated the holiday as a special day of service. For more information, check out mlkday.gov and navigate the website.