More By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. MLK Jr. Observance Day goes on despite COVID-19 The Rev. Dr. Leo Burns, grand marshal, speaks during Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day celebration at the Effingham County Fairgrounds in Springfield. - photo by Mark Lastinger/staff I love all my brothers and sisters, and I love them to my heart and I pray for them — even those that don’t care about me. Rev. Dr. Leo Burns, grand marshal of Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day SPRINGFIELD — The spectators were confined to their vehicles because of COVID-19. The contagious disease did nothing to restrain the enthusiasm for the occasion, however.