Location: Beth Eden Baptist Church, 11121 S. Loomis Ave.

Folk singer Ella Jenkins,composer of national acclaim, returns to Morgan Park to perform her annual family concert celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

A recipient of the 1999 ASCAP Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, Jenkins was the first children’s music entertainer to earn the prestigious honor. She has been inspiring young audiences for more than 40 years, performing live, on award-winning recordings, and on television programs that include “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” and “Barney & Friends.”

She has performed all over the Unites States and throughout the world, bringing to all audiences upbeat music that bears a lively message of unity and friendship that celebrates diversity.

She has been named a national treasure by the Smithsonian Institution.

Jenkins’ popular children’s songs have been recognized with a Parent’s Choice Award in 1991, and can be found on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and Activity Records.

In 1993, she was presented the Service to Young Children Award by the Chicago Metropolitan Association for the Education of Young Children, and Dec. 12, 1992 was declared “Ella Jenkins Day in Chicago” by Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Admission is $3 for children, $4 for adults or $6 for the family and includes birthday cake.

Tickets may be purchased at the door.