The date of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade held annually in Smithfield has been changed.
At the request of the Johnston County Chapter of the NAACP, the parade will be moved in 2019 to the third Saturday in February. It has previously been held the second Friday in January.
In a letter to the Town of Smithfield from Dr. Gettys Cohen Jr., Branch President, and Barbara L. Monk, Parade Committee Chair, they wrote, “Our desire is to honor the memory of Dr. King in a spirit of unity. By abiding by the guidelines and having the participation of a broad spectrum of the population, we worked together for that common cause.”
The parade will begin at 3pm on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. Staging will begin at 2:00pm. The parade will last about 30 minutes. The parade is expected to include floats, bands, vehicles and local dignitaries.
The route will be the same as the Town Christmas parade. Smithfield Police will continue to provide security and traffic control.
The Smithfield Christmas Parade takes place the second Thursday of every December.
