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Bands, Politicians March In Jacksonville MLK Day Parade

In observance of Martin Luther King Day, the city of Jacksonville held its annual parade downtown. High school bands and politicians were out and marching in full force.

Robert E. Lee High School Band Director Donald Jenkins was overseeing warm-ups in the EverBank Field parking lot before the parade.

Jenkins says the Generals have been prepping differently for the parade than they would to play at a game.

“Parades are physical. You have to have the athleticism to march for three or four miles carrying the instrument," he says. 

Besides the bands, parade marchers included officials like Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and Florida Governor Rick Scott. And plenty of local office hopefuls showed up to campaign with their supporters too. 

Jessica Palombo oversees local news at WJCT News 89.9 and Jacksonville Today. With a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and bachelor's in journalism from the University of Florida, Jessica is a nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville. You may have once seen her on a local community theater stage. These days, you can most likely catch her reading a book in a school pickup line.