MOULTRIE — Luke Strong III was honored for his service to the community by the Women’s Federated Club of Moultrie at a Martin Luther King Celebration Monday.

The annual event, which is in its 36th year, was held at Mother Easter Baptist Church and included solos performed by Chrystal Pittman and a presentation by young women in the Willie J. Williams Middle School GEMS club. A Distinguished Service Award was presented posthumously to Sondra Hampton.

Dr. Charles Gilbert, senior pastor of Blooming Light Missionary Baptist Church, was the keynote speaker. The message in his speech was focused on dreams to coincide with the theme of the program, “The Power of the Dream: Forging a Path Forward.”

He drew some parallels between the Rev. Martin Luther King and Biblical figures who had dreams, especially Joseph of the Book of Genesis.

“The best way that I can honor the beloved good Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. today, is to show you him in what he loves more than anything in the world. That is … show him through the word of God,” Gilbert said.

The MLK Day activities officially started on Monday with a free breakfast, sponsored by the local NAACP, at the 50 Yard Line. The country-style breakfast buffet was served by volunteers including students from PCOM South Georgia.

At the free event, Felicia Carr, vice president of the NAACP, said that local businesses had helped make the breakfast and day’s other activities possible.

From noon until 4 p.m., the NAACP had a celebration downtown that included free food and activities for children.

Carr said that usually the NAACP would have their event at the Ryce Center after the parade but thought that having it on the square would bring in a more

diverse crowd.

This year’s grand marshal for the MLK Day Parade was Trudie Hill, longtime member of the Colquitt County Board of Education, and there were other local dignitaries including Mayor William McIntosh and other government officials riding and waving to the crowd. The parade’s theme, “Thriving Together to Raise the Bar” was illustrated through a variety of vehicles, floats by schools, civic organizations and churches. The Colquitt County High School’s 50th Regiment led the parade.

At the end of the day, Dr. Patrick McCray, NAACP president, noted that this was only the second year that there were activities on the square on MLK Day. He seemed pleased with the way everything turned out and said that they would be adding more to the downtown activities next year.