WS Chronicle

The City of Arts and Innovation took a step closer to making the Winston-Salem Arts, Culture and Entertainment Memorial Walk of Fame a reality.

The idea for the Walk of Fame has been in discussion mode since November 2015, when the City Council voted to approve the project. Accepted nominees will be memorialized with bronze stars embedded in the sidewalk outside the newly renovated Benton Convention Center.

During the Development/Housing/General Government Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 15, committee members voted on names that will make up the Class of 2018. Although the Walk of Fame is not yet complete, board members have been selecting honorees since 2016.
Later this month, the stars are expected to be unveiled during a special ceremony at the Benton.

Here’s a list of the honorees who will be enshrined on the sidewalk on Cherry Street: The 5 Royales, Larry Leon Hamlin, Phil Hanes, William “Wis” Samuel Scales, John Iuele, Chris Murrell and Dr. Robert Wise.

Being inducted into any Hall of Fame is no easy task, and the Winston-Salem Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Memorial Walk will be no different. The city has set certain criteria that each nominee has to meet in order to have his or her name placed on a star. Rules for nominees are as follows:

*The nominee(s) exhibited sustained excellence in his or her field for at least five years.

*The nominee(s) made distinguished contributions to the community and civic-oriented participation.

*The nominee(s) is deceased (must provide copy of death certificate).

*The nominee(s) was a resident of Winston-Salem for at least five years.

*The nominee(s) made a significant contribution to the arts or entertainment industry in one or more of the following areas: music, dance, theater, writing, visual arts, motion pictures, television or radio.

According to Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe, new stars will be added to the sidewalk each year, but the names are limited to only five per year.

Ward Miller, who serves on the nominating committee for the Walk of Fame, thanked the City Council for their support of the project. He said, “I want to say thank you to the City for allowing us to do this. I think it’s outstanding.

“I don’t think any other community around us right now has something like this, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be replicated or duplicated.”

Council Member Denise “DD” Adams said if we’re going to be the City of the Arts, we should have a place to honor our heroes. She said the Walk of Fame gives visitors the opportunity to see the greats who were molded right here in Winston-Salem.

“I’m very excited to see our first stars go down and I’d like to say thank you to Mr. Miller and the entire committee for helping bring this to fruition.”

The nomination form for 2019 has not yet been posted, but 2018 information can be found at http://www.cityofws.org/walkoffame.