WS Chronicle

Winston-Salem’s four-day centennial celebration begins Thursday, May 9, with the unveiling of a local historic marker commemorating the centennial, followed by an open house with refreshments and historical displays in City Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

The marker unveiling program starts at 5:30 p.m. on a stage set up on Main Street in front of City Hall. Speakers will includeMayor Allen Joines, Mayor Pro Temp Vivian H. Burke, N.C. Sen. Earline Parmon and Mark Maxwell of the Historic Resources Commission.

Maxwell

Entertainment will be provided by “The Superintendent’s Own” chorus drawn from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high schools; Authoring Action, an Arts Council youth group; the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus, the Moravian Band Lower Brass Section and string players from high school orchestras.

An open house in City Hall will follow the program. Displays will recount each decade of the city’s first 100 years and a typical day in Winston-Salem in 1913. Visitors can also pre-order copies of the centennial documentary, “Merger: Making the Twin City,” and “Winston-Salem’s Architectural Heritage,” a new book by Heather Fearnbach that was commissioned by the Historic Resources Commission.

The program and open house will take place on the actual 100th anniversary of consolidation, which took effect on May 9, 1913, after the citizens of Winston and Salem, voting separately, approved consolidation.

For more information about all centennial events or to order commemorative centennial items, visit W-S100Years.com.