Kenny McCamey always has called LaGrange and Troup County home. On Saturday, his love of the community will be rewarded when he serves as grand marshal of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.

“I tried to talk the committee out of it,” McCamey, 52, said jokingly about his selection. “My name was submitted, and everyone was in agreement.”

McCamey was surprised.

“My life’s pretty uncomplicated,” he said.

Parade chairwoman Yvonne Pittman said choosing McCamey was an easy decision.

“He’s the most outstanding, friendliest person,” she said. “He’s a joy to be around.”

McCamey, who graduated from LaGrange High School and LaGrange College, where he got a history degree, has worked for the last seven years at Lakes Dunson Robertson Funeral Home, after starting his mornings with breakfast at Charlie Joseph’s.

The people he serves make him love the job.

“I wouldn’t take anything for the families we’ve served,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if not for them.”

McCamey had a chance to move out of LaGrange after college and service in the Navy, but he chose to come back and has been here ever since.

McCamey grew up 10th out of 11 children in the Union-East Depot streets neighborhood, which was his world growing up. His mother was a lunchroom worker at East Depot School, so if he got out of line at home or at school, discipline was swift and decisive.

McCamey’s family all plan to attend Saturday’s parade, and the events likely will be the main topic of discussion at the next day’s Sunday dinner, a weekly family tradition.

“The movie ‘Soul Food,’ they got that idea from us,” McCamey said of his family.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade, organized by the Theta Xi Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, will take place at 1 p.m. This year’s theme will be “The Dream Never Dies.” Pittman said the parade is in its 17th year and already has about 30 entries.

The parade begins at Granger Park and travels through downtown.

A prayer breakfast will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. James Church.

Troup BELL - Building Early Learners for Life - is the beneficiary of an MLK Day fundraiser from 9:30 to noon Jan. 18 at Troup High School fine arts auditorium. Tickets to the program, called “The Dream for the Children: Envisioned, Actualized or Deferred: You Tell Us,” are $2 for children 11 and younger, $5 for ages 12 and older, and $50 for groups of 25. For more information, call (706) 882-0480.

— To enter the parade, call Pittman at (706) 616-2484.

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.