FAIRFIELD COUNTY — In the spirit of having a dream realized, the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee in Fairfield County is changing its observance of the holiday honoring King this year.

The change comes about due to the swearing in ceremony for President Barack Obama, which takes place that day. This year, instead of holding a walk and a commemorative service in Ridgeway, committee members are encouraging people in Fairfield County to organize their own personal service projects that would honor and uphold the values taught by King.

The committee, consisting of the Rev. Christopher Keesee, Jackie Wallace, Diane Belton, Berlinda Robertson, Gladys Allen, Donald Prioleau, Herbert Robertson, and the Rev. Henry Spann, made the same request in 2008 for the first Obama inauguration.

Just as for the first ceremony, a group from Fairfield plans to make the trek to the capitol to be there for the ceremony to hear the president take the oath of office.

Unity Committee members said President Obama will take the oath with his hand on two Bibles, one owned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and one by President Abraham Lincoln.

The MLK Unity Committee plans to resume the walk and service in 2014. This would have been the third year for the walk and the 11th year for the commemoration of Dr. King by the group.