To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Plant City has a full schedule of events over the weekend of Jan. 16 to Jan. 23 from parades to gospel concerts.
The Improvement League has chosen this year’s theme for the festivities, “Color of Unity,” which spokesman William Thomas said is a reflection of how Plant City comes together every year to make the festival a success.
“We try to adopt a theme that reflects the City of Plant City,” Thomas said. “We picked a theme reflecting unity because there are people of all backgrounds coming together for the festival.”
The festival will get started at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16, as Pastor Larry Sykes, the Marshall Middle School Jazz Ensemble and Gentleman’s Quest kick off the opening ceremony. The Teen Dance Summit will be later at 7:30 p.m. at the Plant City MLK Recreational Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saturday looks to be the most eventful day of the weekend. Thomas and the Improvement League are expecting the biggest turnout. The carnival will open at 10:30 a.m. at the MLK Rec Center’s sports complex and will run until 8 p.m. The MLK Freedom Parade, which will march down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will begin at 1 p.m. Leola McDonald will serve as this year’s Parade Marshal.
The most prominent new addition to the festival, the Plant City MLK Drumline Showdown, will be held at 2:30 p.m. The competition will feature six high and middle schools, with a $1,000 cash prize for the best high school unit and $600 for the best middle school unit. This is something that the Improvement League wants to keep around for next year — especially if they’re able to expand it.
The music showcase, featuring a number of hip-hop and spoken-word artists, the Gospel Extravaganza and the car show will all be held at 4 p.m.
Sunday’s events will include the Leadership Breakfast at the HCC Trinkle Center at 7:30 a.m., for which tickets cost $25. The community awards will be presented, and State Rep. Darryl Rouson will serve as the guest speaker.
The festival will wrap up Monday with the Freedom Walk at Sam Cooper Park, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., along with tours of the Bing House Museum, a barber shop competition, fitness classes and a movie screening.
For more information about the festival, visit PlantCityMLKFestival.com.
Local organizations and community members will also be receiving awards in celebration:
MLK Leadership Award: Plant City Photo Archives & History Center
E.L. Bing Education Award: Iris Lewis
Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Service Award: Azaria Santos
Improvement League President’s Award: Durant High JROTC
