TULSA, Okla. — A freeze has bent the tradition of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade before, but nothing breaks its spirit.
The last edition was postponed a full month after single-digit temps on the observed day of Jan. 15, 2024.
- Previous coverage>>> Tulsa hosts Martin Luther King Jr. parade after postponement
"That is the main thing: (There's) no precipitation that we foresee," Tulsa's Martin Luther King, jr. Commemoration Society director of special events Rebecca Marks Jemerson told 2 News on Jan 19.
"And because of that, we are going to go on with the parade this year. (We are) in touch with the city, with Sheriff Regalado, TPD. We look at what we need to put in place to meet those thresholds to make sure that we have a successful and safe parade."
The 2025 edition is set to include around 150 entrants, according to Jemerson. The start time will be 12 p.m., adjusted one hour behind its initially planned time of 11 a.m..
The commemoration society's president Pleas Thompson made his opinion clear while at the podium during the annual MLK Day processional Jan 19 in the warmth of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.
"I spent 34 years as a postal employee," Thompson said. "As you all know, rain, sleet or snow, the mail must go."
City officials also met with the commemorative society to confirm resources and personnel will be ready for the occasion.
Jacob Parra from the Hispanic American Foundation encourages Green Country to show out like always for the nation's third-largest MLK Day parade.
"Just be ready to take things off, rather than to rely on having to put more things on," Parra said. "Grab a hot drink before, and just try to stay out of the strong windways. We also have streaming (on KJRH.com) so you can just be a part of it there. But just stay safe and don't push yourself past your limitations."
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