Don Hicklen will serve as the grand marshal of the 2011 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade on Jan. 17. The parade, to be held in downtown Springfield, will begin at 10 a.m. The annual breakfast for the MLK Jr. Day Observance will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will be held in the Effingham County administrative complex.

The children’s awards program will begin at noon at the Effingham County Recreation and Parks gym. This year’s theme was “A Vision From the Mountain Top: Humanity Around the World.” The first-place winner was Ronnie Harden II, a senior at South Effingham High School.  Second place went to Chandler Drew of Ebenezer Middle School for “Dr. King’s Dream: A Road to Glory, Peace and Fairness.” Aaron Sabo of Ebenezer Middle School took third place for “Dr. King Had a Dream-Let’s Keep It Soaring High,” and Marissa Malatesta of Ebenezer Middle took honorable mention for “One Man Dreaming of a Better Future.” 

The evening service, “Walking With the King,” will be held at Goodwill Baptist Church in Rincon.  All civic groups, churches, clubs and individuals are invited to participate in the parade and services on Jan. 17. For more information, call MLK committee chairman Lon Harden at 772-3505.