Hardy parade participants and spectators braved bone-chilling conditions Monday in honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in Fernandina Beach.
Sponsored by the Elm Street Sportsman Association, the annual MLK Jr. Parade kicked off at noon, starting at the Peck Center and traveling from 11th Street to Ash Street, right on Second Street, right on Centre Street, and ending at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center. The parade chairperson is former Vice Mayor Patricia Thompson.
It was a bitter 40 degrees with a wind chill of 28 degrees as the first element of the parade made its way down Ash Street. Applause from dedicated spectators was muffled due to glove-covered hands but their cheers of support were loudly heard.
The celebration began Saturday with a breakfast at the Atlantic Recreation Center with speakers including congressional candidate LaShonda Holloway and Fernandina Beach City Commissioner Tim Poynter.