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Events in January 2026
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January 19, 2026
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“Ann Arbor Restaurant Week”: Ann Arbor Main Street Area Association
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Jan. 18-23. Participating restaurants offer prix-fixe menus at affordable prices. Various times. Downtown Ann Arbor. annarborrestaurantweek.com.
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“Unbowed and Unbroken: The Enduring Struggle for Justice”: 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium: U-M Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
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NAACP president Derrick Johnson and actress and activist Donzaleigh Abernathy, the daughter of civil rights leader Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, discuss contemporary social and racial justice activism and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. 10 a.m., Hill Auditorium. Free. (734) 936–1055. Livestream available at oami.umich.edu/mlk-symposium.
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MLK Day: Best In Games
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Celebrate MLK Day with unlimited 1st floor activities and non-stop excitement! School's out, and the fun is in!
1st Floor Activities Include:
Adventure Thrill Park
Pixel Floor
Laser Tag
Drop Tower
VR Monster Truck Ride
Bumper Cars
Full Access Includes:
1st Floor Activities
High-Speed Karting
Axe Throwing
Football Bowling
Selfie Mini Golf
Limited tickets available. Select your desired start time to reserve your spot today!
Learn more at bestingames.com/ypsilanti
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“MLK Day Drop-in”: Ann Arbor Art Center (A2AC)
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All invited to design and create a quilt square that reflects what they love and value about community. Individual squares will be stitched together to form a collective quilt. Supplies provided, while they last. Open to all ages and skill levels; kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. 11 a.m.–3 p.m., A2AC, 117 W. Liberty. Free. annarborartcenter.org.
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“Scientist Spotlight: MLK Jr. Day”: U-M Museum of Natural History
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A chance for adults and kids age 10 & up to engage in interactive science activities with U-M scientists. Noon–3 p.m., U-M MNH, 1105 North University. Free. (734) 764–0478.
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“Rustin”: Michigan Theater
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Film screenings every day. Tickets $10.50 unless otherwise noted (children under 12, students, seniors age 65 and older, & U.S. veterans, $8.50; Marquee Arts members, $8) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. For updated schedule, see marquee-arts.org/calendar.
Jan. 19: “Rustin” (George C. Wolfe, 2023). Coleman Domingo plays civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in this dramatic biopic. FREE; reservation requested at marquee-arts.org. 1:30 p.m.
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“Black History Is for Everyone”: U-M Library MLK Committee 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture
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Writer and activist Brian Jones, a former NYC public school teacher, discusses his new book about how the study of Black history challenges our understanding of race, nation, and the stories we tell about who we are. Followed by Q&A. 2 p.m., Michigan Union Ballroom. Free. (734) 764–5293, oami.umich.edu/mlk-symposium.
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“Annual Circle of Unity”: U-M Michigan Community Scholars Program
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All invited to listen to or join a program of song, dance, and spoken-word performances inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Also, performances by local singer-songwriter Joe Reilly and Detroit singer-guitarist Julie Beutel. 3–4 p.m., Regents Plaza, next to the cube. Free. [email protected].
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Freedom Songs Sing-Along and Zine Art Workshop: Remembering Matasha Allen (z"l): N/A
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Join the community for the 7th Annual Freedom Songs Sing-Along on Monday, January 19 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. From 3-4 PM, the Ypsilanti Youth Choir, led by Crystal Harding, will sing songs of the Civil Rights Movement, songs about peace and justice, and songs of love and community. We'll also spend some time remembering Matasha Allen (z"l) a loved member of our community who first brought people together in song years ago.
From 4-5 PM, we'll be doing a Freedom Art Workshop with Zines (pronouced 'zeen,' short for fanzine). Zines are small, self-published DIY-booklets filled with creative content like art, writing, comics, or political messages, using simple tools like paper and photocopiers to share personal passions or counter-cultural ideas outside mainstream publishing. The use of fanzine art was crucial during the Civil Rights Movement; they helped get social justice missions and visions out into the world which led to fostering community and building solidarity.
Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive ,Ann Arbor, MI 48108. https://jlive.app/events/13999 Free. Peretz Hirshbein jccannarbor.org (734) 971-0990.Add this event to your calendar: Google Calendar | iCal
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Toddler Meetup: Dinoland Playdate: Meetup Event
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https://www.meetup.com/tiny-town-explorers/events/312647447/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events
Join us at Dinoland for a Tiny Town Explorers meetup! We’ll be there from 5:30–6:30 pm. The cost is $10 per child, which is Dinoland’s entrance fee — adults are free, and you can pay at the front desk when you arrive. I’ll be in the toddler soft play area (or at least trying to keep my baby there and away from the big kids’ area). Dinoland has lots of fun play areas for little ones to explore, and food and drinks are available for purchase if you’d like. I’ll have a Tiny Town Explorers sign on my diaper bag, or you can just look for me in the toddler area.
Please note that this event is aimed at toddlers from the age of 10 months - 17 months.
4735 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 · Ann Arbor, MI ,Ann Arbor. Buy at entrance $10. [email protected] https://www.meetup.com/tiny-town-explorers/events/312647447/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_eventsAdd this event to your calendar: Google Calendar | iCal
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Toddler Meetup: Dinoland Playdate: Meetup Event
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https://www.meetup.com/tiny-town-explorers/events/312647447/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events
Join us at Dinoland for a Tiny Town Explorers meetup! We’ll be there from 5:30–6:30 pm. The cost is $10 per child, which is Dinoland’s entrance fee — adults are free, and you can pay at the front desk when you arrive. I’ll be in the toddler soft play area (or at least trying to keep my baby there and away from the big kids’ area). Dinoland has lots of fun play areas for little ones to explore, and food and drinks are available for purchase if you’d like. I’ll have a Tiny Town Explorers sign on my diaper bag, or you can just look for me in the toddler area.
Please note that this event is aimed at toddlers from the age of 10 months - 17 months.
4735 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 · Ann Arbor, MI ,Ann Arbor. Buy at entrance $10. [email protected] https://www.meetup.com/tiny-town-explorers/events/312647447/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_eventsAdd this event to your calendar: Google Calendar | iCal
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“Martin Luther King & Militarism: What Would He Say Today?”
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Veterans for Peace chapter members discuss MLK’s speeches on militarism made during the Vietnam War. 6–7:30 p.m., AADL Downtown 4th fl. Free. (734) 327–4200.
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Funny Commercials & the Super Bowl Watch: The Ann Arbor Social Club
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Everyone is very friendly and all are welcome. We will have a black and white table sign that says "MEETUP" so you know where to go, name tags and other stuff.
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Group Runs: Ann Arbor Running Company (AARC)
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Every Thurs., Sat., Mon., & Tues. (different AARC locations). Runners of all abilities invited to join a 5K mapped route (Thurs. & Mon.), either a beginner or advanced group run (Sat.), or an interval-based training run (Tues.). 6 p.m. (Thurs.), AARC Colonnade, 901 W. Eisenhower; 7 a.m. (Sat.) & 6 p.m. (Tues.), AARC Downtown, 209 S. Ashley; and 6 p.m. (Mon.), Corner Brewery, 720 Norris, Ypsi. Free. annarborrunningcompany.com.
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The Movement Made Us All: The Civil Rights Movement and the Current Moment: U-M Departments of Afroamerican and African Studies, History, and the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies
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As part of the University of Michigan's MLK Symposium, please join us for a conversation with journalist and sports commentator David Dennis Jr. and his father, civil rights movement veteran David Dennis Sr. Authors of The Movement Made Us: A Father, A Son and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride, a moving memoir of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dennis Jr. and Sr. will discuss the political and personal legacies of the movement and its historical relevance for the challenges facing American society in the present. Matthew Countryman, associate professor of Afroamerican Studies and History, will serve as moderator for the event.
A reception with books for sale by Literati Bookstore will be in the Pendleton Room, Michigan Union, from 4:00-5:30 PM
David J. Dennis Jr. is a journalist and author of the critically acclaimed memoir and oral history, The Movement Made Us, an exploration of the life of a prominent civil rights leader who organized Freedom Rides, lunch counter sit-ins, and voter registration drives in the Jim Crow South—his father, David J, Dennis, Sr.
Dr. David J. Dennis, Sr., is founder, executive director, and consultant for the Southern Initiative Algebra Project, Inc. (SIAP). In the 60s, he was field secretary of the Southern Education Defense Fund for Racial Equality, southern regional program director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); co-director of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) with Bob Moses, and a key architect of the Mississippi Freedom Summer.
Presented by the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the Department of History, the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, the Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation (M-PACT) in Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Well-Being of African American Men in the Center for Social Solutions. Additional support from the Kalt Fund for African American and African History.
525 S State St. ,Ann Arbor, Michigan. Free.Add this event to your calendar: Google Calendar | iCal
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“Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden”: Literati Bookstore Eco Book Club
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All invited to join a discussion, led by local poet Alison Swan, of Camille T. Dungy’s 2024 account of her 7-year odyssey to diversify her garden in predominantly white Fort Collins (CO), a community that had strict policies about what plants residents could and could not grow. 6:30 p.m., Literati, 124 E. Washington. Tickets $5 (can be redeemed for store credit) in advance only at literatibookstore.com. (734) 585–5567.
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Group Runs: A2 Runners
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Every Sun., Mon., & Wed. Runners of all abilities invited to join a beginner or advanced 3- to 5-mile group run, followed by socializing at a downtown coffee shop. Noon (Sun.) & 6:30 p.m. (Mon. & Wed.), meet at the Kerrytown clock tower. Preregistration requested at meetup.com/a2runners. Free. [email protected]
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Magic: The Gathering: Sylvan Factory
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Every Mon.–Wed., Fri., & Sat. All invited to play both casual and tournament forms of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG).
Mon. (6:30 p.m.): “Just Another Modern Monday.” Three rounds using powerful cards, for experienced players, with prizes. $10.
Tues. (6:30 p.m.): “MTG Pauper.” A fun and fast format for all skill levels, three rounds. $5.
Wed. & Sat. (5 p.m.): “Casual Commander Night.” A drop-in session of the most popular form of the game. Free.
Wed. (6:30 p.m.): “MTG Standard Showdown.” Three rounds, with competitive tournament rules, prizes of store credit. $10.
Fri. (6:30 p.m.): “Friday Night Magic.” Cost and format vary.
Various times, Sylvan Factory, 2459 W. Stadium. Various costs. (734) 929–5877, sylvanfactory.com.
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DATE MOVED: “Craft & Chat”: Pittsfield Union Grange
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Correct date is Wednesday, January 21.
All invited to work on their knitting, crocheting, and other craft projects together. 7–9 p.m., Pittsfield Grange (use back door), 3337 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Free. (734) 274–0773.
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“1981 International Year of Disabled Persons”: Ann Arbor Stamp Club (AASC)
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Club member Bob Ransom talks about and displays worldwide stamps honoring the International Year of Disabled Persons. Also, a mini-auction of U.S. & foreign stamps and covers. Visitors welcome. 7:30 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1500 Scio Church Rd. Free. (734) 761–5859, [email protected], annarborstampclub.org.
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Tartan and Thistle Scottish Country Dancers
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Every Mon. Learn to dance jigs, reels, and strathspeys. All dances taught. Usually with live music by Susie Lorand, Josh Burdick, and friends. 7:30–9:30 p.m., Pittsfield Grange, 3337 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. $10 suggested donation (first-timers free). (734) 474–7299, (734) 274–0773.
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Comedy Show: The Blind Pig
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Every Mon. Performances from up to 15 aspiring stand-up comics from around the state. Local comics emcee. Age 21 & up only. Free candy. 8–9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, 208 S. First St. Free. (734) 996–8555.
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