Jan. 6—ROCKINGHAM — A whole weekend of events is set to kick off next Friday, Jan. 13 and will continue to Monday, Jan. 16. to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

"The community should come out, especially the kids and the youth for the parade," said Chair of the Foundation Committee Curtis Ingram. "Grammy-award winning Dante Bowe and former NFL players in Richmond County — that's something they will want to see."

Bowe will serve as the grand marshal for the parade which will begin in Downtown Rockingham at noon on Jan. 14. He is the 2022 "Best Contemporary Christian Album" and 2023 "Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song" Grammy Winner.

"I would like to publicly thank Mayor Hutchinson for partnering with me to bring this Grammy Winner home," said Michael McRae. "The partnership was phenomenal."

Other honorees at the parade will include former NFL players Tony Horne (St. Louis Rams), James Hamilton (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Harry Stanback (Baltimore Colts).

This year's theme is "Dream, Believe, Do in 2023." Each of the guests will speak outside of the Richmond County Courthouse after the parade.

Following the parade, Bowe will perform at Rockingham Middle at 2:00 p.m. in conjunction with a youth talent show.

On Friday, Jan 13, the MLK Gala will be held at Liberty Place on East Washington Street at 9:oo p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.

On the morning of the parade, there will be a prayer breakfast at Café Convo at 8:00 a.m. on Main Street in Hamlet.

On Sunday, Jan. 15, there will be an Ecumenical Service at New Bethel Church in Hamlet at 5:00 p.m. Reverend Gene Alexander will be the speaker for the service.

Alexander was a student at Western Carolina University when he heard the Lord's call to Ministry. Following graduation in 1975, he and his wife, Cathy, pastored their first church in 1979. Since then, they have pastored three other churches and then came to First Assembly in Rockingham NC in 1991, where they currently serve.

Gene and Cathy have two daughters, one granddaughter, and one great grandson.

On Monday, Jan. 16, there will be an MLK luncheon at Wayman Chapel Faith Center on Osborne Road in Hamlet at noon. Interim Superintendent of Richmond County Schools Dennis Quick will be the guest speaker.

Quick serves on numerous boards and organizations, including The Cole Foundation, Richmond County Theater, Arts Richmond, The State Employee Credit Union Advisory Board and The East Rockingham Men's Club, Professionally, he has been a part of the Principals and Assistant Principals Association (serving as President at one point), Safer Schools Subcommittees of the Governor's Crime Commission, NC Principals and Assistant Principals Association, NC Association of School Administrators and the NC Beta Club Council.

"The whole weekend is fanned out," Ingram said. "We just want the community to come out and be diverse together and make it a blessed weekend. We want to come back real big and get back into the swing of things — a little bit sense of normalcy."

The previous two MLK celebrations in Richmond County have been virtual due to COVID-19. In place of a parade last year, there was a Unity Day of Service.

For more information about the Dante Bowe performance and youth talent show, contact Michael McRae at 910-995-1410.

For more information about the MLK Gala on Friday, contact Curtis Ingram at 910-206-1240.

For more information about the MLK Luncheon, contact Dot Bynum at 919-219-0038.