Fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr. watched President Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, the late civil rights leader’s legacy is still being honored in Covington County.
Next week, locals will get several opportunities to attend functions honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is celebrated Monday.

In Opp, the annual MLK Day parade will get started Monday at 10 a.m. at city hall, and will continue to the Hardin Street recreational complex, where breakfast will be served. Opp will host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program Thursday at 10 a.m. The program pays tribute to the cultural contributions of King, and will honor his 85th birthday and his legacy of promoting nonviolence and human rights. The program features keynote speaker Command Sgt. Maj. William S. Hayes, CSM for the 1st Battalion, 14th Aviation Regiment. The theme of this year’s program is “Celebrate! Cultivate! Motivate! Keep the dream alive.”

In Florala, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. March will also be held Monday. It will begin at 11a.m. at Carter Community Center.

The MLK observance worship service will be Sun., Jan. 19, at Saint Matthews American Church in Lockhart at 6 p.m.