Binghamton’s Sidewalk of Stars: An Overlooked Piece of History

One of the first things I did when I moved here was check out the Sidewalk of Stars. It is less than a block from the station on Court Street in the Metro Center courtyard.

I thought it was the coolest thing for a city of this size to honor those who contributed to it's history this way. I mean, how many cities can say they do this? I can only think of 2 others: Hollywood and Nashville.

I hadn't seen it in a while, so I thought I would visit the stars not long ago. What I saw bothered me. There are 4 areas for plants surrounding the sidewalk and they are nothing but dirt and weeds instead of lush planted accessories to make the sidewalk a true attraction. Then, there is the sidewalk itself. It's neglected and breaking apart in places.

As I was reading the names on the stars, a college student and his parents came to look at the attraction. my first thought was, 'well this leaves a crappy impression on the parent about Binghamton." And it does! If we can't take of a sidewalk, how bad is the rest of the city?

It seems as if there is no real respect for the sidewalk. Rumor has it that there is a renovation going on in a building in the courtyard and trucks drive over the stars! Are you kidding? To me, that is like desecrating a grave.

It gets worse so I have questions. Who's in charge? Why is this area not maintained? As I investigate, I will continue to share my results here. And hopefully, someone will be held accountable.