Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with events during Grand Strand Freedom Week

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Grand Strand Freedom Week kicks off with a lineup of events to join to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

You can grab the whole family and see some familiar faces leading the 17th annual MLK parade.

For the very first time, this year’s MLK parade grand marshals are Horry County Schools’ 2022 Teachers of the Year.

The 56 teachers who snagged the best of the best title will lead the parade on Saturday. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m.

Will Williams, the parade coordinator, said they are excited to shine a light on our community’s educators.

“We want to be sure to spotlight our local educators who truly are heroes in our community who are working each and every day diligently to ensure that Dr. King’s dream stays alive and well within our county and within our community,” said Williams.

Williams said this year’s parade will be the biggest yet with more than 65 participants.

You can prop up a chair and watch floats, golf carts, cars and people travel along Ocean Blvd. from 15th Ave. N to 8th Ave. N.

Williams said the MLK parade is a great way for everyone in the community to come together and celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

“We don’t just want to see one color, one age, one group represented. We want to see the diversity of our community accurately depicted through the parade, and this is just a way to do that in a really fun and simple way that brings joy to our community members and also offers a way for us to get to know our neighbors,” said Williams.

Williams also said it’s not too late to sign up and walk in the parade, and it’s completely free to register.

If you miss out on the parade, you can still join the freedom week celebration with events planned out over the next few days.

Here’s the schedule of events for Grand Strand Freedom Week:

• Friday: Welcome Reception, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (invitation only)
• Saturday: MLK Parade, Ocean Boulevard 15th Ave. N. to 8th Ave. N. at 10 a.m.
• Saturday: Mental Health Forum, Myrtle Beach Train Depot from 1-3 p.m.
• Sunday: CommUNITY Ecumenical Service, Mt. Olive AME Church from 4-7 p.m.
• Monday: Drum-Major Awards and Breakfast, Myrtle Beach Convention Center at 9 a.m.
• Tuesday: Economic Development Summit, Myrtle Beach Convention Center from 9-1 p.m.

You can attend each event for free, but you will have to pay $25 for a ticket if you want to attend the Drum-Major Awards & Breakfast.

You can get tickets or register for the parade by clicking here.

The MLK parade and Grand Strand Freedom Week are put on by the Carolina African American Heritage Foundation and Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Grand Strand Freedom Week starts Friday and goes through Tuesday, January 17.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.