The City of South Fulton will hold its inaugural MLK Day parade on Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. Mayor Bill Edwards and MC Lightfoot will serve as the grand marshals.
The parade will travel along part of Old National Hwy., starting at the Walmart parking lot, 6149 Old National Hwy., and ending at the Grown Folks Cafe parking lot, 5495 Old National Hwy.
Dozens of churches, organizations, community groups and elected officials have signed up to participate. Floats and live entertainment are part of the lineup.
City of South Fulton officials will march in the parade along with the city’s police and fire departments. County and state representatives will also join including Commissioners Marvin Arrington and Joe Carn, and State Representatives Roger Bruce, Debra Bazemore and William Boddie.
Fulton County Schools will be represented by board members Linda Bryant, Kimberly Dove and Gail Dean. Superintendent Mike Looney will also join. And bands from Creekside High School and Westlake High School will perform.
Several sororities and fraternities will march in the parade including the Omicron Kappa Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Omicron Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Tau Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Atlanta Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Community associations are also part of the MLK Day parade lineup, including Old National Area Residents United (ONARU) and the Cedar Grove Community Association (CGCA).
“I am excited that our city has chosen to honor the holiday and the man in this way and I’m looking forward to communing and fellowshipping with all of the other residents who choose to participate,” said Eliese Fisher, president of CGCA. “I think it’s going to be a day where we can all be aligned and on one page in celebration of our history and in anticipation of the beautiful future that awaits us.”
The MLK Day parade is scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m. At that time, the city will hold a census rally. Census Day is April 1. This year will mark the first time that citizens will be able to complete the census online.
Both ONARU and the Cedar Grove Community Association will have their own census outreach activities following the parade. ONARU will hold a discussion on census participation on February 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Heritage Park Club House located at 2397 Creel Road.
CGCA will have representatives available to share information about the census at their February and March meetings which are held on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at 9285 Cedar Grove Road.