With drums, bells and other instruments, children were raising the roof Sunday at Port Discovery in Baltimore, as part of the 10th annual "I Have A Dream Weekend" festivities honoring the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Day 2 of the three-day celebration, scores of children sat in a large studio of the children's museum, beating djembe West African drums while others shook cowbells and whacked tambourines.

They tried to keep up with Jonathan Murray, drum circle facilitator, and his partner, Daveed Korup, who built the African rhythms to a crescendo as loud as an Eastern Shore summer thunderstorm.

"It really gets things going," yelled Cork Hardin, education and community enrichment associate at Port Discovery, above the roar of the music, which had both young and old swaying.

Meghan Powell had driven up from Silver Spring with sons Bryce, 4, and Isaiah, 2, who were doing all they could to add to the musical maelstrom.

If visitors arrived expecting a formal lecture about the slain civil rights leader, they were certainly in the wrong place.

"This is an informal event that celebrates the richness of African-American culture and we try to get this into the lives of the children and we do that by having them participate," Hardin said. "And besides, at that age, they don't want to be lectured to. What we do here is celebrate how Martin Luther King Jr. brought the community together through various events."

In another large gallery, children sat at tables coloring doves, while others put designs on cotton squares that will become part of a quilt. When completed, the quilt will measure roughly 62 inches by 62 inches, and hang at Port Discovery.

"Each year, the quilt has a theme. Last year, it was 'Peace,' and this year it is 'Our Beloved Community,' " Hardin said.

For the second year, the African-American Quilters of Baltimore group assisted in assembling the quilt.

Great-granddaughter"We have so many talented young people in this room, and what better forum than this than to introduce them to quilting, which in many ways is becoming a lost art," said Eleanor Johnson, a member of the quilters group.

The centerpiece of this year's quilt has a panel that was designed and donated by Bella Chagall, in the modernist style of her famed great-grandfather, Marc Chagall. Around the edge of the panel she had written, "Giving of Flowers - Bringing of Joy - Getting a Smile."

"We had hoped to get a square from Michelle Obama but we were too late when we asked this year, but we hope we can get one for next year's quilt," Hardin said.

Danae Smith, a 5-year-old who attends High Bridge Elementary School in Bowie, was sitting at a work table carefully coloring a dove under the watchful eyes of her parents.

"This is the best part. The coloring," said an enthusiastic Danae, who carefully chose the markers for her design on the white dove.

One-act playsHardin said that on Saturday a crowd of more than 1,200 came to Port Discovery to meet and listen to several surviving members of the old Negro baseball leagues talk about their experiences during the era of segregation, and sign autographs. He estimated that 1,800 people would visit the museum by the time it closed.

He expects that more than 2,000 will come for Port Discovery's final King event today, which will consist of dramatized biographical vignettes from his life and times.

"They will be one-act plays and they will be performed by fifth-graders from area schools," Hardin said.

Port Discovery is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Tickets are $12.95. For additional information, call 410-727-8120 or go to portdiscovery.org.