The cold, snowy weather on Monday morning may have encouraged shorter speeches, but it did not stop Long Branch from honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a birthday observance ceremony.

The Long Branch-based Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Guild hosted the 30-minute ceremony at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monument Park on Atlantic Avenue.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, a flag honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. flutters beneath our nation’s colors at the Long Branch MLKMonument Park Monday during a ceremony in observance of the civil rights leader’s birthday. At left, a portrait of King appears in bas relief on the Long Branch MLKmonument.

About 40 residents, city officials and representatives of local churches, the police department and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, gathered at 10 a.m. Those in attendance joined hands and formed a circle around the MLK monument in the center of the park and listened as city officials spoke about King’s legacy and sang songs in remembrance of the civil rights leader.

The monument, which was installed Jan. 14, 2001, was decorated with a wreath as two flags fluttered in the breeze on the flag pole next to the monument.

“The monument and wreath are symbolic for the legend of Dr. Martin Luther King,” Jacob Jones, a member of the guild and the city’s director of community and economic development, said in opening the ceremony.

For the past eight years, the MLK guild has organized the birthday observance ceremony, but this year’s celebration had a new feature, according to Councilman David Brown.

“The guild is proud to stand here today because this is the first day the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. flag was hung,” he said.

The new flag, with the name of King on it, was hung beneath the American flag.

Mayor Adam Schneider told the crowd that the legacy of King is not something that Long Branch celebrates for just one day of the year, but is celebrated year-round in the city.

“This is a dedication to civil rights for all,” he said.

Another speaker, Congressman Frank Pallone, D-12th, said that what he most remembers about the legacy of King is his activism.

“I think his legacy will continue for a long time,” Pallone said.

The ceremony’s guest speaker, the Rev. Dr. Donald E. Brown, pastor of Trinity A.M.E. Church in Long Branch, asked “Where are we today in the march of freedom?

“People try to destroy the dreamer, but the dream lives on,” he said.

The final speaker told city residents to not only dream their own dreams, but to also do something about achieving them.

Joseph Ferraina, superintendent of schools, said “the community spends all week long talking about ‘The Dream.’ We needs to start looking in our homes and start the dream there,” he said.

“Our kids are losing their dreams on the way to school.”