The California Hall Of Fame sits a block away from California’s state capitol in Sacramento. Every year there are new members added into the growing hall, new exhibits are unveiled and the inductee ceremony takes place in the shadows of the prominent state capitol building. This year was no different as 14 new recipients of the California Spirit Award made an appearance. New members included: James Cameron, Mark Zuckerberg and Barbra Streisand among many others.

First Lady of California Maria Shriver began this annual event in 2006. Shriver has been credited with spearheading the effort to build the hall, where patrons can go and view items that some inductees themselves have loaned for use in the exhibits.

This year included set pieces from the Titanic that had been in James Cameron’s office, original works form artist Wayne Thiebaud and a car that Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini had used to transport money in the early 20th century.

As the inductees made their way down the red carpet, screams could be heard form the bleachers that had been set up for fans to come and view the celebrity arrivals. Betty White sprinted away from a live interview to shake some hands and sign a few autographs.

Although the ceremony is closed to the public, due to space constraints, the arrivals themselves became an event in downtown Sacramento. Fans braved cold temperatures and pouring rain to get a closer look at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood who is already a member of the hall and was there in support of his wife who remains on its board.

Inductees ran the gamut this year. Among them were former Secretary of State George Shultz, country legend Merle Haggard, tennis star Serena Williams, author Anne Lamott, and inducted posthumously were Levi Strauss as well as A.P. Giannini.

Haggard was happy to do a couple interviews on his way into the ceremony. A local highschooler nervously asked Haggard what his inspiration was to create music. Haggard stopped his brisk walk, looked directly at the kid, and said “Life.”

The Hall’s main message is to dream, that anyone can do anything with hard work. Whether it’s creating Facebook in a dorm room or selling millions of albums. The embodiment of the Hall was standing on its red carpet. As a nervous youngster got the chance to ask a legendary star a question for his highschool news broadcast.

The Hall of Fame will have a new slate of inductees next year. To find out more information on the exhibits, the Hall and its members visit: http://www.californiamuseum.org/exhibits/halloffame

Article By: Tyler Sobie