MLK Jr. Day parade set for Jan. 20

Pike’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day committee is hoping all citizens of Pike County and neighboring counties will celebrate the 2014 MLK Day with them. The annual parade will be held Jan. 20 at 11 a.m.The Grand Marshal for 2014 is Edward Alexander who is a member of the Pike County Georgia MLK Jr. Day committee. He is serving as the grand marshal in honor of his mother, the late Mrs. Mary Alexander. She was one of the first organizers for the MLK birthday celebration during the 1970s, soon after the death of Dr. King.The parade is set to leave the parking lot of Fullers Chapel United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. All churches, businesses and civic organizations are asked to join the celebration. There is no parade fee. All parade participants must be in place and ready to leave no later than 10:45 a.m. The theme for this year’s parade is ‘After 50 years, how can we fulfill the dream?’The annual MLK program will follow the parade at the Mt Hope Baptist Church. Rev. Timothy Starks of the Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Meansville will speak. The 2014 Torch Bearer Award recipient for this year is Charles Davis. He was an avid participant in Civil Rights Movement in Pike.For more, call Patricia Beckham at 770-468-4937 or Regina Bridges at 678-588-4058.