Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Martin Luther King memorial nears completion - USATODAY.com

Martin Luther King memorial nears completion - USATODAY.com: The dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in August may draw as many as 400,000 people — more than the 1963 March on Washington, organizers say.

Former secretary of State Colin Powell, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin are among the people expected to participate in five days of concerts, dinners, seminars and prayer services celebrating King's legacy, says Harry Johnson, CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation..

The $120 million memorial, the only one on the Mall that does not commemorate a president or a war, will be dedicated Aug. 28, the anniversary of the march and King's I Have a Dream speech, which drew an estimated 200,000 people.

Johnson says the National Park Service is planning for 400,000 people. Sgt. David Schlosser, spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, would not confirm that figure, saying his office does not give out crowd projections.