MERIDIAN- The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center is currently under construction in Meridian, but that isn’t stopping them from deciding on their first class for the Hall of Fame.
Marty Gamblin, Executive Director of MAEC, said that the Hall of Fame is a vital part of what the center is all about.
“It’ll be honoring the most influential and illustrious Mississippi artists. The Hall of Fame is reserved for those who are really the icon or trailblazers, so it’s really the pinnacle of success,” said Gamblin.
The selection begins with a nominating committee, experts throughout the state. They took a list of over 900 people and reduced it to the top 64. It was originally intended to be the top 50 but had to be expanded because of ties.
Out of those 64 names, 15 will be selected for the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“We have 18 electors and then we have a vote that is representative of everyone voting online, so that’s a total of 19 votes cast,” said Gamblin.
Voting closes on Friday Feb. 17 at midnight. You can vote here.
A presentation and induction ceremony will be scheduled at a later date due to the current construction of MAEC.
“We hope that people will vote because it’s an enormous process when you look at it all,” said Gamblin.
