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Gary Miller's Outdoor Truths Ministry, Jan. 20, 2025
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Martin Luther King Jr. Parade
and festivities focus on love and unity
Xavier Macon (left) and Levy County Property Appraiser Jason Whistler pause for a moment before the start of festivities in Trail Head Park. They are both among the members of Chiefland High School’s Class of 1993. They both played on the same basketball team. They continue on the same team in a metaphoric manner. Fellowship with one another and unity are among the top ideals shared on Saturday as people spoke about the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a program in Chiefland on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 18).
Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison © Jan. 19, 2025 at 4 p.m.
Updated Jan. 21, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
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TRI-COUNTY AREA – A parade and festivities to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) happened in downtown Chiefland on Saturday (Jan. 18), with a clear focus on love and unity.
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There is another program set to celebrate the life of Dr. King in Williston on Monday, a federal holiday named “Martin Luther King Jr. Day.” There is no program on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Cross City, however several people from Dixie County came to Chiefland to join in this celebration, one of a few in Levy County.
In Williston, there is a parade planned to start at noon on Monday and a program at Cornelius Williams Park is slated to happen after the parade.
The MLK Committee-Chiefland conducted the parade from Chiefland Middle High School southbound on U.S. Highway 19 to Chiefland’s Trail Head Park on Saturday.
Cross City, which historically has held the biggest celebrations for the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Tri-County Area, did not have a program this year. Instead, people from Cross City, Bronson as well as Chiefland and elsewhere combined efforts for the event in Chiefland.
The first MLK parade ever in Chiefland was on Jan. 21, 2018, as shown in the story that is available by clicking HERE.
The story, photos and video from the 13th Annual MLK Parade in Cross City -- In 2018 -- can be seen and heard by clicking HERE.
There will be no MLK event on Monday (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Jan. 20, 2025) in Cross City.
The top leader for the 2025 parade and program in Chiefland was Cecilia Jones of the MLK Chiefland Committee.
Among the many people confirmed as coming from Cross City to Chiefland to help in the celebration were Dixie County Commission Vice Chairman Mark Hatch, Dixie County Commissioner Daniel Wood III, Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford, Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka, Cross City Councilwoman Angela Carter (who is also vice president of Cross City On The Move), Coss City On The Move President Elsie Carter, Cross City Police Chief Jamey King, Kelby King, Rebecca Brooks, Riley Brooks, Ivy Baxter and Linda Williams.
THE PROGRAM
The 2025 event in Chiefland to celebrate the life of the late Dr. King was more than in past years.
Among the speakers of the day were Chiefland Mayor Chris Jones, Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford and Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka.
Bishop George Jones Jr. of the St John Missionary Baptist Church of Chiefland started the program with prayer after opening comments by Apostle Lance Hayes, the husband of Pastor Minnie Hayes of The Potter’s House Kingdom Ministries International.
Seen on the stage at Trail Head Park in Chiefland is acoustic specialist and DJ Alfonso Kerney, a Chiefland native who lives in Gainesville now. Kerney established an excellent system for people in the audience to hear the messages and live musical performances on Saturday (Jan. 18), as well as playing recorded music to entertain people there.
Junior Howard of Chiefland is seen at the table where people were served freshly cooked hotdogs and hamburgers for free. People also picked up bags of free food from the table.
The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Praise Choir, with Derrick Webb on keyboards, Eugene Carter on drums, and Lola Riley, Aarianna Johnson and Cassandra Webb singing, as the choir perform We Shall Overcome. They are performing on the stage at Trail Head Park after the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Chiefland on Jan. 18. Click on the PHOTO to see and hear the video.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison for HardisonInk.com. All Rights Reserved.
Before the start of the program in the park, many of the leaders from Cross City were gathered together for a group picture. They are (from left) Linda Williams, Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford, President of Cross City On The Move Elsie Carter, Cross City Councilwoman Angela Carter (who is also vice president of Cross City On The Move), Dixie County Commissioner Mark Hatch, Ivy Baxter, Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka and Cross City Police Chief Jamey King.
During the program, Lance Hayes mentioned the MLK Committee provided scholarships to two young women to attend college. Those recipients are Rodrianna Donaldson, who is attending the College of Central Florida (left) and Layla Buie, who is attending Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.
While the audience for the program in Chiefland to honor the late Dr. King was relatively small, the messages shared with listeners were extremely strong and inspirational.
Cross City Mayor J. Ryan Fulford reads his speech at the event in Chiefland.
Mayor Fulford learned about Dr. King before giving his speech, including that the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968, that King entered college at the age of 15 and was an ordained minister when he was 18 years old.
Fulford quoted part of Dr. King’s speech that he gave on March 17, 1966, at Southern Methodist University.
“Then the Greek language comes out with another word. This is the word Agape,” Dr. King said back in 1966. “Agape is more than romantic or aesthetic love. Agape is more than friendship. Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill for all men. Theologians would say that it is an overflowing love that is the love of God operating in the human heart. When one rises to love on this level, he loves every man not because he likes him, not because his ways appeal to him, but because God loves him and he rises to the level of loving the person who does the evil deed by hating the deed the person does.
“I think this is what Jesus meant when he said love your enemies. And I’m so happy he didn’t say like your enemies. I must confess that there are some people that it is pretty difficult to like. But Jesus said love them and love is greater than like. Love is understanding creative goodwill for all men. When you stand up against the evil system and yet understand the perpetrator of that evil system,” King continued.
(That speech has much more, but this is part of what the mayor of Cross City captured to share with people on Saturday in Chiefland.)
Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka shares with people his messages at the event in Chiefland.
Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka spoke next.
Marhefka, like Fulford, said he feels it an honor and a privilege to speak in Chiefland during the recognition of the life and values of the late Martin Luther King Jr.
A few days ago, he said, rain was forecast to hit on that Saturday. Instead, the skies were clear, the temperature was about 72 degrees Fahrenheit and there was a gentle breeze from the south.
The vice mayor said he thanks his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the great weather and for allowing everyone to come together in unity.
“It’s not about the colors anymore,” Marhefka said. “It’s about our blood.”
Jesus does not see the color of person’s skin but instead sees the human blood that is the same in each person, he intimated in his speech.
This celebration in unity by the people in the communities that day, Marhefka said, is to honor the life and legacy of one of the most remarkable leaders in history.
“Dr. King was a man of vision, courage and compassion,” Marhefka said, “who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice and equality of all.”
Through the leadership of Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, Marhefka continued, showed everyone the transformative power of nonviolence and unwavering determination. King believed that love rather than hate was the path for healing and unity.
The Cross City vice mayor said King’s words are etched into the very fabric of American history. And those words continue to inspire humans today, he added.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Marhefka said as he quoted King.
King’s commitment to justice, Marhefka said, was not limited to speeches or to marches. King’s actions showed those thoughts brought to life – from the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March On Washington, where he delivered his iconic “I have a dream” speech, Marhefka said.
King dreamt of a world where people would be judged by their character, rather than by the color of their skin, Marhefka said.
King’s dream was not just a call to end segregation, he continued, but it was a call for all people to create a society built on fairness, empathy and unity.
“Dr. King reminded us that change is not easy – but it is possible,” Marhefka said, “when we come together with courage and conviction.”
He closed his speech by saying he wants to se everyone carrying the dream forward by standing up to injustice; to lift each other up with kindness; “and strive to create a world where equality is not just an ideal, but a reality for all.”
The Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Praise Choir, with Derrick Webb on keyboards, Eugene Carter on drums, and Lola Riley, Aarianna Johnson and Cassandra Webb singing, perform on the stage at Trail Head Park in Chiefland after the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Chiefland on Jan. 18. This church is one of the many Baptist churches in Chiefland.
Chiefland Mayor Chris Jones welcomes everyone and thanks them for attending the event in Chiefland. The mayor asked Johnnie Phillips to sing, and although this was off the cuff, she sang -- a capella -- a song showing that every time something good happened, God did it.
(from left) Chiefland Mayor Chris Jones and Lance Hayes watch and listen as Johnnie Phillips sings -- a capella -- a song showing that every time something good happened, God did it. Before her solo, she spoke about One Love from God for all people.
THE PARADE
The parade, which happened before the get-together in the park, started as planned at 12 p.m. on Feb. 18. Every intersection on both sides of Main Street (U.S. Highway 19) was blocked to allow the parade to travel on the southbound lane of the two-lane road.
No traffic was allowed to go north or south on the highway during the parade. Members of the Chiefland Police Department, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and the LCSO’s volunteer force of Citizens On Patrol performed traffic control operations.
Parade participants did not occupy the northbound lane of the highway -- probably to allow access if needed for emergency vehicles.
The parade was longer than the first one in Chiefland, which was in 2018.
June Ladewig, a member of the LCSO Citizens On Patrol volunteers for 10 years now, stands next to the cruiser she used to help in the traffic control effort on Saturday. Members of the Chiefland Police Department and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office also were part of the successful mission to direct traffic around the parade route on U.S. Highway 19 that day.
The parade makes its way southbound on U.S. Highway 19 in the southbound lane on Jan. 18.
Chiefland Vice Mayor Lewrissa Johns drives a vehicle in the parade. Riding with the vice mayor is Chiefland City Manager Laura Cain, who also serves as the ex officio city clerk for Chiefland and is the supervisor of election for municipal elections in that city.
Cross City Police Chief Jamey King drives a car. Joining him in the car are his son Kelby King, Rebecca Brooks and Rebecca Brooks’ daughter Riley Brooks.
Chiefland Mayor Chris Jones (left) walks in the parade with attorney Yvens Pierre Antoine.
Parade participants carry banners with messages.
Wearing bunker gear used when fighting fires and marching with that heavy outfit in the parade from the high school to the park are (from left) Chiefland Fire Chief Dwayne King, Chiefland Fire Rescue Lt. Kevin Davis and CFR Firefighter Paul McCarthy.
Chiefland City Commissioner Norman Weaver waves from the passenger seat of a Chiefland fire truck as he rides in the parade.
A Cross City fire truck rides in the parade.
A Levy County Fire Rescue ambulance rides in the parade.
A float from Cross City shows the city was founded in 2024. Check out the city's water tower. Also visible on the float are (from left) City Councilwoman Angela Carter, Dixie County Commissioner Daniel Wood III, Cross City Vice Mayor Kirk Marhefka and Mayor J. Ryan Fulford.
Fanning Springs Fire Rescue sent a squad truck to ride in the parade. Since the City of Fanning Springs is partially in Gilchrist County, this parade was a Tri-County Area MLK Parade, with Levy, Dixie and Gilchrist counties participating.
Fanning Springs Fire Rescue sent a water tanker truck to ride in the parade.
A boom truck from Central Florida Electric Cooperative rides in the parade.
Central Florida Electric Cooperative Vice President of Member Services Tony Wasson drives one of the CFEC vehicles in the parade.
First Published Feb. 1, 2011 at 8 a.m.
On Feb. 1, 2011, HardisonInk.com came into existence on the Internet. On All Saints Day - Nov. 1, 2011, The Christian Press section on The Life Page of HardisonInk.com started, which was about nine months after the start of the daily news website. The name "The Christian Press" was derived from an encounter a decade earlier in 2001 in St. Petersburg, when and where a man mentioned to a journalist that this particular journalist must work for "The Christian Press." Although the presumption by the man about that journalist was incorrect and misplaced, the name sounded good. And the journalist said that if he could work for The Christian Press, then that certainly would be the publication to serve.
Since Nov. 1, 2011, The Christian Press section of this page has run daily devotionals from several individuals who contributed over the past years. There were two days in 2018 when the daily devotional did not run due to a journalist requiring emergency orthopedic surgery on broken bones in his left arm and wrist. That surgically added metal, though, makes that part of that arm even more able to withstand forces. Many daily devotionals are pulled from Strength for Service to God and Country (Whitmore & Stone © 1942; Renewed 1969 by Norman E. Nygaard; Second revised edition © 2002 Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, Providence House Publishers). The journalist who is the sole proprietor and owner of HardisonInk.com (Jeff M. Hardison) notes his appreciation for the use of those devotionals from that now-defunct publishing company, and for the many other contributors who have helped people over the past decade-plus now. Strength for Service to God and Country's daily devotionals include many from a time when the United States of America was a partner in a World War, both WWI and WWII. This journalist welcomes contributions of daily devotionals. Daily devotional authors are asked to please send only their original works to hardisonink@gmail.com. Americans are reminded that all religions, having no religion and or being a person who endorses anti-religion are all protected as part of the freedoms from government intervention, as are other benefits from being an American.
Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 at 7 a.m.
THINK TO THANK
Read Isaiah 6:1-8
I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
-- Psalm 138:1 (KJV)
The difference between the words “think” and “thank” is only a vowel. The two words are vitally related. One must “think” to “thank.” Ingratitude is always the result of thoughtlessness.
There are several channels through which we may express our gratitude. First, there is the channel of prayer. God waits today for intercessors. The grieved amazement of heaven is expressed in that startling statement: “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.” (Isaiah 59:16) What a challenge! God is willing, but He waits for intercessors.
Second, there is the channel of contentment. Among the products of the human mind there are no richer gems than those who have emanated from darkness. Some of the world’s foremost books smell of prison damp. More than half of the great epistles of Paul were written from a dungeon. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Third, there is the channel of worship. We need a new vision of the greatness of God. Well for us if the passing of all that can pass will drive us to Him who cannot pass! The passing of the earthly for the receptive soul oftentimes means the dawn of the heavenly. Such a vision is needed today. We have lifted ourselves so high that we cannot see the Lord “high and lifted up.” And because God is not thus lifted up today, worship and respect for the Sanctuary has become cheap and wearisome.
O LORD, look in pity upon our world today and heal its desolations. Send Thy comfort to those who suffer, whose lives are so devastated by war. Bear up the prisoners and the wounded, and have mercy on the dying. And grant Thy people everywhere the gift of merciful love, so that they may minister in Thy name to all the needy of the earth. Amen.
Pastor J. George Dorn
Hollywood Lutheran Church
Hollywood, California
Strength for Service to God and Country
(Whitmore & Stone © 1942; Renewed 1969 by Norman E. Nygaard; Second revised edition © 2002 Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, Providence House Publishers)
Outdoor Truths Ministry
By Gary Miller © Jan. 20, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.
I’ll probably lose some readers today because of this next sentence.
I’m a big University of Kentucky sports fan. LOL. I hope you’ll keep reading because I believe we can get past that fact quickly. As some of you know, the Wildcats hired a new basketball coach this past year by the name of Mark Pope. He was a Rhodes Scholar, a former medical student at Columbia University, former basketball coach at BYU, and just an overall unique, and good guy. He uses phrases and ideas in his basketball style that one doesn’t hear very often. The one I heard the other day was the word “autopsy.”
And when he was asked to explain why he uses that word and how he incorporates it into his coaching, he said that after each game, they want to be reminded that that game is over. It is dead. It doesn’t matter if there was a win or a loss, that game is dead – never to be resurrected again. The autopsy is then done. They examine the good and the bad, in that order. Then they bury the remains and move on. I’m thinking of so many uses for that in both my outdoor life and in my daily living.
In my hunting and fishing days, each past season – even each past day, is over. It is dead. Whether it was successful or not, it should carry no lingering effect on what the next day or season holds. While yesterday I caught no fish. Today, I might get my limit. It’s actually what keeps us going back. In more important things in life, it means yesterday’s failures or successes do not determine tomorrow’s outcome. And more importantly, they don’t define who we are. Failures and successes are not people. They are moments in time. That doesn’t mean that some of those days will not change our life permanently. They will, and they should. But what brings about the change is not the events, but the autopsy. It’s the change we made after we examined yesterday’s body. This idea is good, but it is also Godly. That is, it is how God wants us to live as well. The Apostle Paul put it this way as he thought of his own past and his desire to grow. He said, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. (perfect Godliness) But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14 NKJV) And this is to be our goal as well.
It is to remember that each day does not stand alone. It is a piece in the puzzle that God is putting together in our lives to make us into the person He wants us to be. And the pieces we want to throw out are as important in making us complete as the ones we want to keep. So, wake up each day and do the autopsy on yesterday. And then remind yourself that not only is today a new day, but it is also filled with new mercies – new blessings- from God.-- Gary Miller gary@outdoortruths.org
Gary Miller has written the Outdoor Truths articles for 20-plus years now. He also has written four books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He speaks at wild-game dinners and men's events for churches and associations. Gary Miller's website is located at http://www.outdoortruths.org/.
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