Mayor Williams Will Be Keynote Speaker At MLK Day Celebration
Sheridan Stigall and Alleah Rawlings, winner of the banner contest in the 2017 Martin Luther King Day Jr. celebration. (File image).
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
[email protected]
Harrodsburg Mayor Robert “Bob” Williams will be the keynote speaker at the 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event on Monday, Jan. 20, at Harrodsburg Baptist Church (312 South Main Street).
The pancake and sausage breakfast is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. with the commemorative march at 11 a.m. The program is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.
The 2025 theme for the King Day celebration is H.O.P.E., which stands for “Hold On, Peace Exist!” and is inspired by a quote from Dr. King: “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
In addition to the speech by Mayor Williams, the MLK Day Committee will present awards to winners of the design and art contests. The winning entry from the design contest will be printed on this year’s T-shirt or button. The winning entry from the art contest will be shared in the Harrodsburg Herald and on display at the vent. The winner of the poem and essay contest will read their essay at the MLK Day event.
At presstime, organizers were still collecting contest entries. Everyone is welcome to participate, youth and adults.
Mayor Bob Williams (Image submitted).
Williams was elected mayor in November 2023. Born and raised in Russellville, Williams served eight years in the United States Air Force. He and his family moved to Harrodsburg in 1998.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday that honors the life of Dr. King, an advocate for racial equality and nonviolent social change. King and his brother, Rev. A.D. Williams King, the pastor at Zion Baptist Church in Louisville, joined Kentucky civil rights leaders in the March on Frankfort on March 5, 1964, in which 10,000 people—including many from here in Mercer County—marched to the state capitol to demand an end to segregation. Their efforts bore fruit two years later. In 1966, Kentucky became the first state in the South to make segregation illegal and to enforce equal access and treatment in stores, restaurants, hotels, theaters, other businesses and public places. A.D. King was also one of the organizers behind the successful 1968 campaign for an open housing ordinance here in Kentucky.
MLK Day in Mercer County is also a day of service. The service project will support the community blessing boxes located around the county. Those planning to attend are asked to bring a non-perishable ready to eat food item.
For more infomation, contact Donna Linton by phone at 859-583-5857 or email at [email protected] to submit an entry or have your entry picked up.
The 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event happens Monday, Jan. 20, at Harrodsburg Baptist Church (312 South Main Street) starting at 10 a.m.
