W.G., Ocoee prep for MLK celebrations

By Zak Kerr
| 7:23 a.m. January 15, 2015

West Orange Times & Observer
News

Monday, Jan. 19, marks the 30th federal celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 86 years since his birth and 47 years since the year of his assassination, 1968.

While King was in Florida for a series of nightly marches through the city of St. Augustine — which resulted in hundreds of arrests, Ku Klux Klan counter demonstrations and violence that gained national media attention — the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 occurred on July 2, 1964.

Members of our communities gather near the third Monday of each January to honor the dream for which King died: a world without racism.

OCOEE

Ocoee’s Human Relations Diversity Board will present the city’s ninth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Parade, “Many Voices, One Dream,” beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19.

The parade will begin at Citrus Elementary School, 87 N. Clarke Road, and end at the parking lot of West Oaks Mall.

Local singing sensation Sisaundra Lewis of “The Voice” will be the keynote speaker for the post-parade celebration at the mall. The master of ceremonies will be Allie Braswell of Braswell Management Group.

The celebration will include Garden Community Choir performances, as well as blood-pressure and health screenings by Walgreens.

Registration forms for parade participants are available at ocoee.org.

WINTER GARDEN

The official Winter Garden Martin Luther King Jr. Day March begins at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, with a check-in time of 11 a.m. The city’s celebration in honor of King will follow, running from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orlando Magic Center. Roads will close to incoming traffic at 12:15 p.m.

The march will start near the intersection of East Bay and Third streets. The march will then go east until it hits the Orlando Magic Center on South West Crown Point Road, where it will finish.

Among festivities for the celebration will be live entertainment, speakers, vendors, children’s activities

All march entries are eligible for The Grand Marshal’s Award. An entry fee that must be paid to the city of Winter Garden KID’S CAFE Program at the check-in for the march. The fee, commensurate with the size of each entry, may be in the form of a canned goods donation, a check or cash.