Today the Monday, January 17th the 38th Annual MLK Day Parade will take to the street of Downtown Lake Charles in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The year Ward 3 Marshal Nathan Keller will lead the parade as Grand Marshal, where the theme is “The road to freedom is a difficult, hard road. It always makes for temporary setbacks.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

The parade brought to you by the MLK Coalition will get underway at 11 am and the route is as follows: It leaves the Lake Charles Civic Center, continues to Broad Street, makes a left on Enterprise Blvd, turns left on Mill Street, on to Lakeshore Drive, and winds up back to the Lake Charles Civic Center. Immediately following the parade hang out at the Civic Center for more family fun and excitement and watch the Battle of the Bands.

Other MLK Day celebrations in the area include the Annual MLK Celebration in DeRidder, which gets underway at 12 p.m. at the DeRidder City Hall. The Guest speakers will include, Tracie Williams, Mayor Misty Clanton, and Artemese “Artie” Hickman. Russell Chew will serve as the emcee for this family-friendly event open to the public. Scheduled events include a march at 12:30 p.m. that will proceed to Veterans Park, concluding with free BBQ afterward.

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