Saturday’s Martin Luther King Jr. parade will celebrate not only the man with the dream but also the man who made the dream come true, the parade’s founder said.

If you go:

*The 4th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade, also honoring the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama, will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday. The parade route will run north on Washington Street from Belmont to Jackson.

*To sign up, donate or sponsor, contact Sylvester Walker, AAF Committee LLC, at 601-618-4636 or 601-638-1251.

Sylvester Walker, the Vicksburg man who was inspired to mark King’s memory as well as promote black history awareness with an annual parade in the city, said this year’s event will also honor the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American to be elected president.

“I think Martin Luther King would say to him, ‘I saw you in my dream, and now you have become the vision,’” Walker said. “I believe Obama is a man we can put our trust in.”

The parade will kick off at 1 Saturday afternoon and travel north on Washington Street from Belmont to Jackson streets. Previous Martin Luther King Day parades have drawn a thousand or more people downtown to view floats, enjoy dance teams and tap their feet to the beat of marching bands.

Previously held on the official Monday holiday honoring the civil rights leader, assassinated in 1968, parade day was changed to make it more convenient for participants, Walker said, especially schools.

While area schools are closed for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, many parents work that day, making transportation for youngsters difficult.

In the past, events on the official holiday have included a scholarship breakfast sponsored by the Omicron Rho Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, as well as a banquet. Information about this year’s plans for similar events was not available.

Walker, who also designed an American-African flag that flies over the MLK memorial at Openwood and Main streets, hopes parade participants will display the colors of that flag — black, red, yellow and green — “to show that Dr. King’s dream must continue on through continued dedication of people who believe that it can and will happen.”

At its center, the flag features the American flag to show unity and patriotism.

About 40 groups have registered to march, including schools, dance groups, clubs and civic organizations, and more participants are urged to register.

Walker is also looking for sponsors — “We need as many as possible,” he said — to provide funds for flags, supplies, advertising and other costs. Many sponsors have supported the parade since its inception, and more are needed not just to underwrite costs but help the event grow, he said.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com.