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Keelah Rooke, 8, tries on the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday crown she made during  the Martin Luther King Jr birthday celebration in the Mattress Factory.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day birthday bash

Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette

Martin Luther King Jr. Day birthday bash

The Place: Jan. 19 at the Mattress Factory, North Side

The Purpose: “We brought our son (Trey, age 2) with us today because we want to share with him the legacy of Dr. King by having him interact with children of all backgrounds,” said Rich Fann of the North Hills, attending with wife, Melissa.  He added, “As he grows, I want him to strive for progress, not perfection, to be mindful of history and recognize that injustice for one is injustice for all.”

The Party: Children and adults alike came out to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a birthday party that included cake, tunes spun by DJ Pandemic Pete and activities such as collaborating on a dream cityscape inspired by artist Ryder Henry. Some children wrote on clouds in the cityscape with sayings such as “I want a world without hate.” Others enjoyed blinging out birthday crowns and creating one-of-a-kind “I Have A Dream” magnets, such as Peri Vrabel, 6, of Lawrenceville, who came with her father, Jason.

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First Published: January 26, 2015, 5:00 a.m.

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Keelah Rooke, 8, tries on the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday crown she made during the Martin Luther King Jr birthday celebration in the Mattress Factory.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Gina D'Amico, the events manager at the Mattress Factory, cuts the cake and sets out pieces during the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration at the museum.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Felice Cleveland, education director for the Mattress Factory, is shown during the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Craft table at the Martin Luther King Jr birthday celebration at the Mattress Factory.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
June Lloyd, of Fineview, who brought her great grandchildren to the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration in the Mattress Factory. sports a birthday crown that she created.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Jude Hicinbothem, 4, dances with his mother Ellen Hicinbothem, from New Kensington, at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Ava Dominick, 7, from the North Side, makes a refrigerator magnet during the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Noelle Friel, 8, savors a piece of birthday cake as she watches people arriving for the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette 20150119 mattress factory mlk birthday seen bencivenga - Noelle (cq) Friel (cq), 8, left, and Maggie (cq) Miller (cq), 10, both from the North Side, watch people arriving for the Martin Luther King Jr birthday celebration at the Mattress Factory, January 19, 2015.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
The Hicinbothem family, from New Kensington, sit in a tent set up for reading at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration. From left are Adam Hicinbothem,with sons Jude, 4, and Trent, 6, and mother Ellen.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Children sit in a tent set up for reading at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration at the Mattress Factory.  (Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette)
Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette
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