Martin Luther King Jr. Day caravan and service planned in Mineola

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The Mineola Ministerial Alliance is hosting its annual Unity Celebration in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 17 at the Mineola Civic Center. This will be a COVID-friendly service with safety protocols in place to ensure public and participation safety. 

“We Are In This Together!” is the theme for the service.

The service will begin with a Community Unity Car Caravan. This was done last year and takes the place of the historical arm-in-arm unity walk.

Organizers would like to have at least 100 vehicles participate in the caravan. Feel free to make unity signs, posters, etc. The plan is to line up on the shoulder on Hwy. 80 East across from the Dollar General Store at 9:30 a.m.

For COVID and safety reasons participants are asked to remain in personal vehicles, and the caravan will leave promptly at 10 a.m., heading west on Hwy. 80 under Mineola police and Wood County Sheriff Dept. escort.

It will turn right on Newsom St., heading north to the Mineola Civic Center. Once there, cars will park around the oval parking lot and tune in to KMOO radio 99.9-FM for the service. 

The service will begin around 10:25 on the Civic Center’s grounds. There will be guest speakers, music, words of encouragement and a performance by Mineola High School’s Jazz Band. The service should conclude by noon.

Pastor Demethrius Boyd with St. Paul Missionary Baptist said, “We look forward to all of our churches, civic organizations and residents coming together and coming out to support this unity celebration. We are blessed to live in a community where we support one another and seek to better our cities and community by finding ways to work together.

“What better day to do that than on a day that recognizes and celebrates a man who gave his life for it. So, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also ask everyone to come out and celebrate ourselves in the accomplishments we have made in togetherness.

“Although we have made great strides, it takes services and celebrations like this to continue the dream of MLK and make that dream a reality. We pray we see you there!”