Drums thundered, people chanted, signs with powerful quotes waved: all in celebration of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the crisp January weather on Monday morning.
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek rode her bike in the parade. Photo by Megan Stokes.Photo by Megan Stokes.A father held his hands over his daughter’s ears so she could wave to the Seminole County fire truck that honked its horn and blared its siren. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.A young child walking in the parade held a sign almost as big as him. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.The Seminole State College display included Dr. King’s quotes on its signs. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.Folks along the parade route thanked firefighters and police officers for their service as they passed. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.The music from Oviedo High School’s marching band was heard before the band was even visible as they thundered down Broadway Street. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.The Johnson Hill-Washington Heights Community Outreach nonprofit carried a brightly colored sign for MLK day. The kids wore signs explaining how they plan to serve their community. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.Children sat in a Dr. King-inspired float with the central message of “everyone can serve.” Photo by Gabriella Valencia.Solid Rock United Church chanted “We are the dream” as they held formation all the way down Broadway Street. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.Families came prepared with buckets to collect the candy being tossed from parade participants, such as State Farm representatives. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.An LED sign on a truck displayed a series of images of Dr. King and played snippets of the civil rights leader’s speeches throughout the parade. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.The Grand Marshals of Oviedo led the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade down Broadway Street on Monday morning. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.Theresa Hordge, the first African-American general manager of a Ford Dealership in the United States, and Wesh 2 News Anchor Christina Watkins were this year’s Grand Marshalls. Hordge threw candy and necklaces to the families watching the parade. Photo by Gabriella Valencia.
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Gabriella is a junior at the University of Central Florida, majoring in print/digital journalism and minoring in digital media. She has been a student journalist for UCF’s student-run newspaper, NSM Today, since 2021. She is a member of UCF’s Society of Professional Journalists and Zeta Phi Eta, the national professional fraternity in communication arts and sciences. In her free time, she loves to be creative, whether it’s painting, digital drawing, crocheting, or, more recently, using her Cricut.
