King parade to march in downtown Las Vegas
Las Vegas will celebrate the life and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 34th annual parade that will snake through downtown Monday morning.
"Living the Dream: The Movement Continues" is the theme of this year's parade that kicks off at 10 a.m. on Fourth Street, between Gass and Stewart avenues, which will be closed from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to sponsor MGM Resorts International.
Other streets will be closed as parade staging and disbanding areas.
"I've done all 34 years. The first one had only 13 entries," parade founder Wendell P. Williams said in a phone interview Thursday. One hundred entries will travel the route Monday.
"This year we have more first-time entries," Williams said, including the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Capital One.
But it's not all big-name companies, Wendell said.
Service groups, churches, mom-and-pops are among this year's entries, making the combination a "full representation of Las Vegas."
In a time with so much violence, "what better time to remind people of the life of Dr. King?" Wendell said.
Staging areas are planned at Coolidge, Hoover and Gass avenues, between Fourth Street and Casino Center Boulevard; on Fourth Street, between Charleston and Las Vegas boulevards; and Third Street between Charleston and Garces Avenue.
The parade disbanding area will be on Fourth between Stewart and Casino Center.
The parade route will include bleachers and a mobile stage at Fourth and Bridger Avenue and Cox cable television cameras at Fourth and Clark Avenue.
Because Monday is a legal holiday, street parking will be free. There also are several paid parking lots in the downtown area for people planning to attend the parade.
Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly will be the event's host. Parade marshals are Lonie Chaney Sr., Ylonda Dickerson and Arby L. Hambric.
Other valley events recognizing King's legacy include the annual King Banquet at the Gold Coast at 6 p.m. Saturday and an MGM Resorts-sponsored volunteer park clean-up at Lone Mountain Park.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta. Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.
