The annual Martin Luther King Day parade is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, and organizers are continuing to accept applications for participation.
“We still haven’t heard from some of those we believe are planing to participate,” said Joe Watson, president of the Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC), which hosts the parade every year. “We have some groups that we know are planning to attend and we encourage everyone who will to come and join us in the parade.”
Right now, Watson said they have six floats entered. Most of them are local churches, St. John Baptist Church, Second Saint Siloam Missionary Baptist Church, St. Mark Baptist Church, First St. Siloam Baptist Church and Piney Grove Baptist Church. These church floats will be joined by a float sponsored by the ADC. Prophecy Motorcycle Club, Gentlemen’s Motorcycle Club and Chariot Motorcycle Club of Pensacola will be there riding in the parade.
“We have a lot of people (around 30 to 40) who will walk in the parade, along with some sororities and Boy Scout Troop 63,” Watson said. “This year we have participation from both the Brewton Police Department and the East Brewton Police Department. We are still looking for band participation, but so far we haven’t heard back from them. We sure would like to have some band participation.”
The parade will line up behind BankTrust beginning at 11 a.m. They will begin the parade at noon from the parking lot of the bank and travel east on Henderson Street to St. Joseph Avenue. The parade will follow St. Joseph Avenue north to where Sowell Road veers to the right. The parade will travel north on Sowell Road to Martin Luther King Drive turns to the right and will end on Martin Luther King Drive at Sportsman Park where they will disband.
Watson said the parade is just the beginning of the plans being made.
“We will have some entertainment at the park with things for the kids and a D.J. to play music,” Watson said. “There will also be vendors on hand with food to sell. We are still accepting applications from vendors, too. Anyone who would like to be in the parade or be a vendor, can contact me at 809-5423.
“We have been doing this for at least 15 years,” he added. “We want this to be a regular tradition in our community and make it bigger and better each year.”
The annual Martin Luther King Day program will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 5 p.m. at Baptist Hill Baptist Church.