This Friday is going to be a big day in the world of dedications, so mark your calendar to attend these events:

In the morning, a dedication ceremony for Martin Luther King Jr. Way is planned, in advance of construction starting on the new roadway in July.

Last summer, the Spokane City Council approved naming the planned Riverside Avenue extension through the University District in honor of civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The new street will extend east from Division St. and connect to Spokane Falls Blvd. prior to the new Trent Ave. Bridge.

The project is designed to reduce vehicular traffic on Spokane Falls Blvd. It is estimated to cost $ 2.1 million for construction and will take four months to complete. Money for the project came from federal funds.

Everyone is welcome to attend the dedication ceremony at the southeast corner of Division St. and Riverside Ave. at 11 a.m.

On Friday afternoon, a celebration marking the Spokane Centennial Trail’s addition to the National Trails System will be held at Veterans Park on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Veterans Park is located at the western most edge of Riverfront Park, in downtown Spokane. It’s the area where the soldier statue is placed near the end of the Monroe Street Bridge and Bridge Street. There’s a big shelter down there and some benches.

The Trail has been selected as one of 31 newly designated National Recreation Trails
based on the “spirit of partnerships and resource conservation that it represents.”

National Recreation Trail (NRT) is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. About 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to 485 miles (781 km) in length, have been designated as NRTs on federal, state, municipal, and privately-owned lands.

This ceremony is also open to everyone.