Article and kphotos by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
  (with additional information and photos contributed by Cassier Murry)

Clermont’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. festivities and parade occurred on Monday, January 20th. The annual community event that fosters equality, unity, reflection, and peace began with a homestyle parade beginning at McKinney Park on Bloxam Avenue in the Lincoln Park Community of Clermont.

The parade, organized by the Lincoln Park Rams Motorcycle Club in partnership with the Christian Men in Action and partnered with the City of Clermont, was complete with floats and vehicles that displayed King’s legacy and his unwavering pursuit of equality. Placards and posters throughout the parade revealed several of King’s famous quotes that he was often heard reciting during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. One such poster highlighted the quote, “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Under cold, cloudy skies, the parade traveled from McKinney Park to Waterfront Park on 3rd Street with the Clermont Police leading the way. At Waterfront Park, fun for all ages awaited the community with food vendors, community non-profit displays, information booths, and children’s games.

Clermont Mayor Tim Murry opened the festivities at Waterfront Park with a welcome speech that included a quote from King that Murry asked the audience to remember. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Clermont Police Chief Chuck Broadway followed up the opening remarks by the mayor with another famous MLK quote. “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

In a place where only white community members were once allowed to congregate and enjoy the cool waters of Lake Minneola in the summertime, the community with diverse skin colors, cultures, and backgrounds, joined together to enjoy a day of peace, great food, family fun and laughs, along with some reflection of the past and plenty of excitement and dreams for the future.

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Guest speakers and entertainment included

  • Clermont Mayor Tim Murry and Police Chief Charles Broadway
  • Mrs. Montgomery of Jiles Memorial COGBF 
  • Mrs. Dana Broadway, wife of Chief Chuck Broadway
  • A Praise Dance by Monica Brown of New Jacobs Church 
  • Willie Green & Son and the New Generation Family Choir 
  • Craig Crawford, a national recording saxophonist of the Crawford Players 
  • A cultural performance by the Caribbean American Association of Lake County (CAALC)  
  • Samue’l with Black Diamond Muzik, joined by IMNNP Imagination Nation Presents
  • Evangelist Cassandra Davis and Guest Speaker Emmanuel Davis, nephew of Mayor Tim & Kassier Murry, shared reflections on Dr. King’s enduring legacy.

 

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