St. Pete’s MLK Dream Big Weekend begins Friday

Monday celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. People from across the country gather in celebration and remembrance of the life of the civil rights icon who nonviolently protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. In St. Pete, a weekend-long roster of events kicks off Friday, culminating in the longest-running parade in America celebrating King.

Advantage Village Academy (AVA), the St. Pete-based event organizer, has been hosting the parade for 38 years.

The campaign to adopt a holiday in King’s honor began in earnest following his assassination in 1968, although it would not become a federal holiday until President Ronald Reagan finally signed it into law in 1983. America officially observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the first time in 1986. While some cities and states resisted recognizing the holiday – South Carolina was the last, adopting it in 2000 – St. Petersburg has officially honored King since the holiday’s inception in 1986.

“These parades that we have every year, they bring so many different people of different ethnic backgrounds together,” said Jeff Copeland, an executive volunteer of the MLK Dream Big Weekend. “Up and down the parade route, you can see the excitement and enthusiasm on the people’s faces. You see all the mixture of people, and everybody’s together cheering, stomping their feet to the bands playing the music and waving at the different dignitaries. Everybody’s marching to the same beat [of] equality, justice and freedom. That’s beautiful.”

The Grand Marshall of this year’s parade is Attorney James Flynn. For the past seven years, Flynn has supported the MLK Dream Big Parade and Festivities. Copeland said Flynn is the perfect person to lead the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and message.

“He’s been a great philanthropist in our community. He’s one of the few people who gives back to the community but doesn’t ask for anything in return. It’s things like that, that make our celebration great because we have those types of people that are actually leading our parade.”

St. Petersburg’s MLK Dream Big Parade, now in its 39th year, is the nation’s longest-running.

The MLK Dream Big Parade, which this year received Elite Event funding from the City, begins at 11 a.m. Jan. 15 and travels east to west through the heart of downtown St. Pete on 1st Avenue South, culminating at Tropicana Field. Copeland said parade-goers will see more than 100 organizations taking part, with “more bands than we’ve had in the last maybe 15-20 years.”

An MLK Dream Big Spelling Bee was scheduled to kick off the weekend Thursday, but has been postponed due to weather. An MLK Dream Big Banquet is scheduled for Friday evening, but  tickets are already sold out.

New this year is an MLK Scavenger Hunt, offering an interactive way for youth groups to explore and engage with St. Pete’s African American history. Groups of up to 10 will begin the scavenger hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday and have until 2 p.m. to complete it. Registration is still open; call Advantage Village Academy at 727-321-7919 to sign up.

A huge part of MLK celebrations include music and St. Pete honors that tradition with a Big Band Showcase Sunday at Lakewood High School, 1400 54th Ave. S. The showcase will feature college bands from HBCU’s Tuskegee University, Savannah State University and Albany State University. Tickets are required for entry and are available to pick up ahead of the showcase at Advantage Village Academy, 833 22nd St. S., weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Closing out the festivities after the parade Monday is a Family Fun Day from 2:30 to 6 p.m. in Parking Lot 4 at Tropicana Field. The event is free for all ages and does not require tickets. Family Fun Day will include various kid-friendly carnival rides, food from local vendors, live performances and free health checkups.

The entire weekend is coordinated by Advantage Village Academy in conjunction with Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Suncoast Credit Union, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Visit St. Pete Clearwater and the City of St. Petersburg. PSTA will offer free rides to parade-goers all day on its Route 5, Central Avenue Trolley and SunRunner routes.  More details about the various events can be found at MLKDreamBig.com.