MLK Parade in Elizabethtown draws hundreds

ELIZABETHTOWN — More than five dozen entries delighted a chilled turnout of hundreds on Monday morning at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade.

The theme this year was “Advancing The Dream: A Time to Reflect, Imagine, and Build the Future.”

Paula Dance, the sheriff of Pitt County about two hours away, was the grand marshal. When elected in 2018 she became the first woman of African descent to become sheriff in the state, the N.C. Sheriff’s Association says. Dance spent the previous eight years in the department of 330-plus employees she now leads.

Floats, walkers and classic cars were highlights for the townspeople, who braved temperatures in the 40s with a wind sustained at 16 mph. Sponsors were many, as were politicians.