CAIRO — Cairo’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade will take place Monday, Jan. 20.

Beginning at 11 a.m., a total of 90 registered entries including the Cairo High school band, the Jackie Robinson Boys & Girls Club and the Grady County Ministerial Alliance will wind their way down Broad Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The parade will begin at Rodenberry Memorial Library and conclude at Holder Park.

Parade watchers are asked to be mindful of trash and are also encouraged not to run into the road to collect thrown candy.

Parking is expected to be limited for the parade, but space will be available near Holder Park.

This year’s parade grand marshal is Jevar McGhee, co-founder and CEO of the Raising Our Youth As Leaders (ROYAL) Association.

McGhee, 37, was selected to serve as grand marshal due to his extensive service in the community. The theme for this year’s parade is “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work,” and Martin Luther King Jr. Grady County Collaborative president Renee Gee-Theophille said McGhee exemplifies that motto.

“His vision is to rebuilt a stronger community and culture for Grady County,” Gee-Theophille said in a statement. “He believes with the help of others in the community coming together (and) working together in unity can make this a reality.”

A Cairo native, McGhee served 12 years in the Georgia Army National Guard. He was the MLK Collaborative vice president in 2018, and was named NAACP Man of the Year that year as well.

Around Cairo, McGhee has participated in MLK Collaborative community clean-up initiatives, community barbecues and an annual back to school summer jam block party.

Following the parade will be a special ceremony at Holder Park, where McGhee will deliver a speech. The ceremony, which is expiated to begin at around noon, will also include performances by Omega Psi Psi, Christ Kidz and the CHS dance team and choir.

At the program’s conclusion, attendees will be invited to enjoy a free lunch sponsored by generous citizens of Cairo. Volunteers with Organizing Grady County will also be on-hand to help register voters.

The MLK Collaborative, which organized the parade, is asking for donations for their annual scholarships given to CHS seniors. Donations can be made through CashApp to $MLKGRADY or mailed to P.O. Box 592, Cairo, GA 39828. Checks should be made payable to the MLK Collaborative.

Gee-Theophille said the MLK Collaborative is aiming to award four or five scholarships this year rather than their usual two.

This year’s parade will also be the last one overseen by Gee-Theophille, who is stepping down in April after 10 years as president of the MLK Collaborative.

During her tenure, Gee-Theophille said she has seen the annual parade nearly triple in size.

“It was just a parade,” she said. “It definitely was not as big as it is now.”

Though she expressed pride in her work as MLK Collaborative president, Gee-Theophille said he hopes her successor will be able to take the parade to another level.

“Somebody, please take this baton and run with it,” she said.