Unity in the Community/MLK Day Parade scheduled Jan. 13; registration underway

The eighth annual Unity in the Community/MLK Day Parade is slated for 1 p.m. Jan. 13, in downtown Gadsden, according to organizer CiCe Whiteside-Curry.

The lineup for the parade will begin at noon in the YMCA of the Coosa Valley parking lot on Second Street, Whiteside-Curry said. The parade will step off promptly at 1 p.m., with its route ending at the vacant lot across from Baker Tires on Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue.

Whiteside-Curry said the parade is a good opportunity for business owners and organizations to come out and display their position in the community, to advertise and promote themselves, and “to stand with us as we strive to bridge the gap in unity, hope, peace and brotherhood, as well as to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

The parade is a service-oriented event, Whiteside-Curry said, and she asked all those in service-providing or public service positions — especially elected officials — to come out and be part of the event.

She also urged local residents to attend and bring their children. Gadsden City Schools will dismiss at noon to allow students to be a part of the parade.

Registration forms are available at the Downtown Gadsden Inc. office, The Chamber of Gadsden & Etowah County and Blings and Things on Broad Street.

“There has never been a more dire need for us to come together for the sake of our children and grandchildren,” Whiteside-Curry said. “If you are not actively building coalitions, building community, please strive to connect with those who are.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Unity in the Community/MLK Day Parade is Jan. 13 in Gadsden