I decided to go to the 7th Annual Sevier County Martin Luther King Day Celebration. I had seen an article in the paper on the day before about it along with an ad elsewhere in the paper with a schedule. I'll be honest that most of the reason that I wanted to go was the 3 dance numbers you'll see in the videos below. I figured for most of the other bits, well, I have a phone with Drop 7 on it. As it turned out, I rarely played Drop 7 at all.
The opening number was Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech over a video about the Freedom Riders. I didn't really understand why the one was laid over the other until later during the keynote speaker's speech/sermon.
After this the National Anthem was played on the trumpet by Wilkes Chandler.
Most of the videos I took so my Mom could see the parts I thought she might like. She likes horn music. I actually don't. Something about the higher notes on most any wind instruments just strikes my ear the wrong way and makes me kind of cringe.
Anyway, next was this dance number. I can't actually decide between this one and the last one for my favorite. They were both great and very worshipful.
I want to note here that for all videos I was mostly actually watching the stage and not my phone. I would look down at the phone occassionally. Thus the occasionally adjustments to get things centered again sometimes. Somehow I seemed to keep unconsciously aiming the phone higher.
The next notable thing (for me, at least) after this was the next dance number.
The coolness and impact of this number would have been better on the video if I had been sitting further back. The young man on the 2nd row had 3 other young men always doing the same move he was, but well I sat where I did and it worked out better for most of the others.
After this was the keynote address by Ernest "Rip" Patton, Jr. It was scheduled for 30 mintues, but he went for an hour. It did not really seem like an hour though, and I never once wanted to pull out my phone for Drop 7. His address was somewhere between history lesson and sermon. Much to my own surprise I enjoyed it. I think most of the content from his speech is probably on the Oprah show special that he referenced at various points. The link there is actually to just one portion of that special. I can't really describe what was so neat and impactful about his address. I just know I enjoyed it and went away from it feeling like I had learned something and been moved.
I might later post at least part of a video from the speech, but for now there are technical difficulties with that.
After this there were some good choir numbers with many of the audience members singing along at many points. Then there was one of the things I rather like about living in Sevier County as it was a very small town sort of moment despite the tourism center that it is. They had a poster contest with local schools and they awared prizes and each child came up and got back their poster and got a medal.
This was the last dance number, and like I said before, I can't decide between this one and the first dance number for favorite.
It ended with some intentional group songs of "We Shall Overcome" and "Let There Be Peace on Earth".
It was the first time I have ever wanted to go to such an event, and I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed the whole event. Next year I might even go earlier for the symbolic march from the church to the courthouse and back.
