By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

An overflow crowd of more than 250 people packed the City Council chambers in Peachtree City Monday to pay tribute to the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday commemorating his birth.

The Prophetic Voices of Praise, a choir from the St. John AME Church in Fairburn, provided several musical selections and a group of mimes brought the crowd to its feet with its performance.

The crowd heard a variety of speakers, including the Rev. Edward J. Johnson, president of the Fayette County chapter of the NAACP; John E. Jones of the NAACP public affairs office; and Jamila Rivers, president of the NAACP Youth Council.

Mayor Bob Lenox briefly addressed the audience, and Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin read a proclamation.

Peachtree City was the only municipality in Fayette County hosting an official event recognized the King holiday.

“I enjoyed it enormously,” said Lenox, who added that it will probably become an annual event. “But we'll need a bigger space.”

Lenox said that a number of people personally expressed to him their appreciation for the city putting on the event.