What's Open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

Monday, January 16 is a legal holiday honoring the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The majority of our local businesses don't observe MLK Day, which was established in 1986.

Here’s is a list of what’s open and closed for the holiday:

• Pretty much all retailers, car dealerships, restaurants, car washes and movie theaters will be open.
• All financial markets will be closed, as will most government offices.
• Curbside trash pickup will be on regular schedules, and the Valley’s transfer and recycling stations will be open.
• Most standalone banks and credit unions will be closed.
• Encino's post offices will be closed, with no home delivery except for express mail.
• Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS pharmacies will be open.
• Public libraries will be closed. Theis closed.
• All public and private schools in Studio City will be closed.
• Sports clubs and fitness centers will be open. Most will have regular class schedules.
• All Metro operated buses and Metro Rail trains will operate on the regular weekday schedule.
• The Department of Transportation does not enforce parking regulations unless the posted signs read “Holiday Enforcement” or “Daily.” The parking regulations that are not enforced on Monday are time limited parking (ie: one hour, two hour, four hours, etc.), parking meters, street cleaning signs and No Stopping signs with specified days/time limits.

Volunteer activities, including projects to refurbish a school, assist veterans and plant trees, are planned for Monday in Los Angeles County to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while celebrations will be held in Long Beach and Pasadena.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Secretary of Commerce John Bryson are set to be among more than 1,000 volunteers building a new school garden, painting educational murals and working at other tasks to refurbish Los Feliz Elementary School.

Other planned participants in the project that will be held from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. include musician Sly Stone and actor, singer, minister and former football player and Rosey Grier.

A toiletries drive for veterans will be conducted in connection with the event, organized by L.A. Works, a nonprofit volunteer action center.

Volunteers are asked to consider bringing shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, shaving cream, deodorant and soap, which will be donated to the Veterans Administration, which will distribute them to area veterans.

Tree planting will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Long Beach from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by the "Achieve the Dream" celebration from 12:30-4:30 p.m., which will include a community mural project, an African drum circle, Ballet Folklorico and a performance by the Khmer Dance Academy.

A blood drive will be conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center beginning at 8 a.m.

Other volunteering opportunities are listed on the website of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day National Day of Service, www.mlk.org.

"The best way for a person to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day is by answering Dr. King's call to serve," Villaraigosa told City News Service. "Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day for all Angelenos and Americans to remember his message that we are all in this together and to give back to their community and help their fellow human beings.

"On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we remember someone who paid the ultimate price for the worthiest of causes. But this day is about more than the past. It is about more than remembering. It is about the present and future. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is about doing and doing the right thing."

Pasadena's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Jackie Robinson Park will be held from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and feature music, speakers and dancing.

The California African American Museum in Exposition Park will serve slices of birthday "Cake for King" beginning at 1 p.m. The documentary "King: Man of Peace in a Time of War" will be shown at the museum, along with a reading of "My Brother Martin," written by Christine King Farris, King's elder sister.

The museum's exhibits include "King in California II," a collection of photographs taken during his trips to California which will be on display through Feb. 28.

Visitors to the Museum of Tolerance near Beverly Hills will have the opportunity to participate in a special "Chain of Inspiration" from 1-4 p.m., creating an art project linking them to the legacy of King and other civil rights figures.

Do you have plans to celebrate MLK Day? Tell us in the comments.