The Montgomery Martin Luther King Committee will celebrate Martin Luther King day by holding a parade in downtown Montgomery.The parade will commence on Monday, January 20 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Line-up for the event will begin at 7:30 a.m. At Troy University Montgomery. All community and civic organizations, churches, daycare centers, fraternities, sororities, dance groups, step teams, cheerleaders, bands, and school organizations are invited to participate. Floats, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and walking groups are welcome.

Participant Registration must be completed by Friday, January 13, 2025. You can register below.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Volunteer Form

Volunteer Information and Guidelines

·       Minimum age to volunteer without a parent or guardian is 18. Due to liability we cannot permit non-volunteers to accompany volunteers while they are working. Children who are 14-15 years old may assist the parent or guardian. The student will need a parent to sign a waiver.

·       As a volunteer you are a direct representative of the MLK Committe. It is important you present yourself in a neat and professional manner. Volunteers will be provided a MLK Name tag. The Name tag should not be altered in any way. Volunteers are permitted to wear their choice of appropriate clothing, Be prepared for the weather. jacket or umbrella for rain, etc. recommend comfortable footwear that is suitable for long periods of standing.

·       It is hard to estimate exactly how long the parade will take each year, as many factors influence this. Volunteers will begin checking in at 7:00 a.m. until the start of the parade.

·       Please be very patient and understanding when approached by participants or general public trying to navigate their way around the parade. Each year we have many first-time entries and visitors who may not be familiar with the parade or the layout of the capitol complex.

·       Enjoy Yourself! We all know parades are fun and even better when you are a part of making it happen.

Staging Lot Volunteers

Greet parade entrants and line them up in numerical order, give directions to entries who need help finding their lot, and help non-parade traffic navigate out of the staging area. Volunteers should be prepared to respond to a variety of questions about the parade, parking, staging lot locations, and traffic routes.

Check in at the information table. and report to your assigned. Once in your assigned, please do not leave without a backup person in place. Use a communications person or send someone to find a Parade Official if you need help.

·       Help direct units to their assigned lot using the parade entry list and map in your volunteer packet.

·       Stand at the entry of your lot and “check in” each entry as they arrive. Confirm the type: ex. walking, truck pulling trailer, bicycle club, etc. Let them know who they will be following in the parade (name of entry and general description).

·       Remind entrants of parade rules if you see problems.

·       Make note of entries that are missing or do not show. You will need to relay this information to the Parade Official that comes by to release your lot.

·       After most of the units have arrived, walk around the lot and put units in numerical order according to your list. It may not be possible for all entries to move around to actually line up once in the lot, do your best to know the order they need to leave in and make sure they also know who they lead/follow.

·       Maintain unit order and readiness. Do not direct units out of your lot. A Parade Official will come by to release your lot.

·       Encourage entrants to pick up trash and have things put away in preparation to exit the lot onto the parade route.

·       When the Parade Official comes to release your lot, report any changes in the line up (no shows, change in order, drops outs, etc.). The Parade Official will relay the information to the appropriate parties.

·       After the entries have left the lot, pick up any trash that was left behind. Bins and bags are available in all lots. If your bin is full, contact a Parade Official to get a replacement bag.

·       Assist in overall enjoyment of the Parade.

·       Have a positive attitude. Be happy and have fun.

·       Be helpful. Take the organizational burdens off the parade participants.

·       Stay alert. Even if all entries are in order, watch for problems and take care of your groups.