ALLIANCE ‒ Themes of family, unity and community were evident during the 31st Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration held on Aug. 22.
A total of 48 units marched in parade that started near the MLK Viaduct in downtown and ended at Maple Beach Park, where hundreds of people gathered to socialize, eat, dance, hear music and use the playground, splash pad and bounce house.
While most communities honor King on the federal holiday observed on the third Monday in January, around the time of his birthday, the Carnation City observes his role in history in the summer.
"Martin Luther King Day is in the dead of winter here in Ohio, and it's almost guaranteed that we're going to have a snowstorm somewhere right around there," said Maurice Hatcher, who is among the event's volunteer organizers. "It is absolutely impossible to have a parade in Ohio that time of year. If somebody does it, kudos to them. This is just good weather for us to come together and celebrate unity, our community coming together."
He said the observance works as an end-of-summer celebration, given that children have returned to school.
"Kids are happy to come out to one more little event," Hatcher said.
Donations allow organizers to offer free hot dogs, chips and punch. Vendors in food trucks offered a variety of items for purchase.
Political candidates and officeholders were among those in the parade and at the party in the park, along with neighborhood residents like Autumn Smith and her boyfriend Victor Douglas, who live on nearby Pike Street. They brought children Chase, 7, Wyatt, 6, Alanni, 4, Everly, 3, and Tucker, 6 months.
Smith, 34, said that as a cottage baker herself, she came to buy food from the other small businesses. The family got fried catfish from Starrett Gattis' House of Soul and greens from Sea Food-N-Eat, owned by Tearna Young.
"He's got the best fish in the city and ... she's got the best greens in the city," said Douglas, 33.
Douglas said he likes to attend the event because it has good food and good people.
"It's always a good vibe," he said. "There's always new opportunties to meet new people."
"Everyone's super friendly," Smith said.
Young declined to divulge how she prepares her greens. Her truck was parked next to Cold as a Mugg operated by her son Robi'on Fountain.
The other two food vendors had family ties, too. Gattis' mother Helena Gattis, 51, and stepfather Jim Keeling, were selling shaved ice, cotton candy, gourmet milkshakes, funnel cakes and deep-fried Oreos.
Starrett Gattis, 32, said he kept his menu simple for the day, offering french fries, Polish boys and fried catfish, all served with a side order of soul music. He said he learned as a child how to make the crispy, peppery catfish from his 85-year-old great-grandmother Dora Board, who watched the parade from the Liberty Avenue home of her daughter, Brenda Edwards, 68.
The House of Soul is now a food truck, but Starrett Gattis started the business in a tent five years ago.
Other family members gathered at the event.
Rebecca Waldrup, 40, had just finished participating in the parade when she spotted cousin Donna Jean Palmer. Waldrup's role in the parade was passing out candy. After that, she helped Democrats register people to vote. Palmer spent five hours driving to return to the place where she was nominated to be Carnation Festival queen in 2003.
Palmer, who lives in Sunbury, Ohio, spent the morning driving because she stopped to pick up her mother, Joni Palmer, who lives in Dayton.
The 40-year-old said she brought daughters Royal Marie Prince, 10, and Empress Reign Prince, 6, to Alliance so they could see where she grew up, see what her life used to be like, and to enjoy the festivities.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or [email protected] X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: 'Always a good vibe.' Alliance celebrates unity at MLK party, parade