By Lenore T. Adkins, Special to the AFRO

The District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation will launch its first-ever Marvin Gaye Day on May 5 by opening the new recreation center that bears the late singer’s name and following that up with a street festival for the community, according to DPR.

Members of Marvin Gaye’s family and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will kick off the festivities at 2 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $14 million recreation center on 61st Street NE. Gaye’s original group, The Marquees, will perform a tribute to him and legendary radio DJ and television personality Donnie Simpson will share memories about the slain singer.

Marvin Gaye Recreation Center (Twitter Photo)

A 5K fun run/walk, giveaways and a Marvin-inspired performance from Black Alley round out the day. People can also tour the center on their own.

“We want to give people a piece of Marvin with the Marvin Gaye Rec Center and festival where he grew up and in the park he wrote early songs,” DPR Director Keith A. Anderson said in a statement. “Hopefully this will inspire the Ward 7 community like the community inspired him.”

Gaye was born and raised in D.C. and later dropped out of Cardozo High School in 1955 to pursue his singing career. He eventually signed with Motown Records in the early 1960s, embarking on a career that spanned four decades. He unleashed a string of hits, including “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “What’s Going On,” “Got to Give it Up” and “Sexual Healing.” In 1984, his father Marvin Gaye Sr. shot and killed the 44-year-old crooner following a domestic dispute.

The $14 million Marvin Gaye Recreation Center replaces the Watts Branch Recreation Center, a small one-story brick building, whose basketball court attracted thousands each summer to watch summer league basketball. The 7,200-square-foot center offers a music room, art gallery, tech lounge, fitness center and a senior room with floating balcony.

Exterior improvements include a new playground with musical elements, an NBA-regulation basketball court and a new practice field for soccer, football and baseball.

Upgrades at the nearby trail include a fitness station, community garden, a memorial bronze statue of Marvin Gaye slated for late spring and a splash pad opening this summer. Programming at the new center will include a summer camp for kids.