WS Chronicle

Nearly 100 people gathered at Winston Lake last weekend for the reopening of one of the city’s oldest and most popular destination locations. 

The history of Winston Lake dates back to 1952 when city officials proposed to set aside 480 acres of land for a lake, picnic facilities, playground, nature trail, and a golf course for Black citizens. 

From the 1950s until the early 2000s, Winston Lake was the place to be on the weekend. Current members of the Winston-Salem City Council Denise “DD” Adams and Anette Scippio said they have fond memories of Winston Lake from their childhoods. 

“We used to eat our Sunday dinners here,” said Adams while thinking back on her time spent at the lake. “It would be cars and Black families for miles. There would be fishing all around the lake. I want everyone to understand that this makes my heart very full.”

Thanks to a $5 million bond referendum that was approved by voters for improvements in 2018, new life was pumped into Winston Lake. Phase I of improvements at the lake included Winston Waterworks Water Park, which includes a pool, a lazy river, a spray ground, and a waterslide. The facility also has a changing room, restrooms and a concession stand. 

Phase 2, which was unveiled to the public last weekend and cost an additional $5 million, includes a brand new pavilion and fishing area, restrooms, playground equipment and a fishing pier. According to Renata Owens, the lake was also cleared of all pollutants from the lake floor. Owens mentioned the lake hadn’t been cleaned or “dredged” in over 30 years. 

After helping cut the ribbon during the special ceremony Saturday morning, Mayor Allen Joines thanked the Recreation and Parks Department and citizens for their vote to make the renovations possible. 

“We’re beginning to bring this wonderful facility up to current standards and create a lot more amenities and ways that our citizens can enjoy this,” Joined said. “Certainly I want to thank our Parks and Recreation Department, William Royston, our director, and Leah Friend, who is our assistant director, for their work to make this happen. Most of all, I want to thank the citizens of Winston-Salem because they did approve bonds back in 2018 that allowed us to do a lot of projects and make improvements across the city.” 

Unlike other parks throughout the city, it is free to use the facilities at Winston Lake, but a fishing license is required to fish in the lake. For more information call 336-650-7677.