Hollywood has it. St. Louis has one, too.

Now Carbondale will join the ranks by displaying some of Southern Illinois’ famous and successful people through the Stars on Main.

Joyce Guyon and Susan Karayanis, co-chairs of the Stars on Main project, said Carbondale’s walk will be different and exciting for Main Street.

Unlike the Hollywood and St. Louis walks of fame, Carbondale’s will be a mosaic design depicting what the famous person was known for rather than just a star with a name.

While working on Carbondale Main Street’s design committee, Karayanis came up with the walk of fame idea about a year ago and has been exploring the idea of creating the walk ever since. She said she hopes the first five stars will be laid by July 2000, followed by five more every year.

The stars will be 3 feet by 5 feet, depending on the size of the sidewalk, and may run along South Illinois Avenue.

The committee got the idea from the St. Louis Walk of Fame, which features people who have influenced St. Louis. St. Louis’ walk has a star with the person’s name and a brief description of his or her accomplishments.

Honorees for the walk will be nominated by members of the public, and then an academy of selected judges consisting of 30 to 50 members will elect who they would like to see as Stars on Main.

Besides community members, Stars on Main is incorporating students in design classes to produce a prototype of the project.

Main Street organizers want everybody to get involved, Karayanis said. The more people involved, the better chances we have of getting success.

Funding for the project will be budgeted through the Carbondale Main Street Program, as well as grants and donations.

Stars on Main has already received one grant of $2,000 through the Grants 2000 program funded by SIUC, Union Planters Bank, Dillard’s and the Carbondale Convention and Tourism Bureau.

The design committee, entirely composed of volunteers, hopes the Stars on Main project will help beautify and attract people to the downtown area.

We are really proud of what we see, Guyon said.

The Design committee also is responsible for the new planters in the downtown area and providing facades for local businesses. The Chicago Art Institute and the Field Museum picked the planter design, which were specially deigned for Carbondale to display its plantings.