The state of Minnesota memorialized one of its native sons this week. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed bill HF 717 which officially proclaims Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway.
A 7-mile stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie will commemorate the late musician known mononymously as Prince. The bill specified that signs installed in the summer of 2023 on Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway will be purple.
The Minnesota House of Representatives unanimously passed HF 717 on April 21, the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death. Earlier this month, the Senate voted (55-5) to rename the highway after the iconic vocalist/instrumentalist. Governor Tim Walz visited Prince’s private estate/museum Paisley Park on May 9 to sign the bill into law.
“Thank you to all those who made the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway a reality. It’s a brilliant combination of public policy mixed with Prince’s purple magic,” says L. Londell McMillan, manager of Prince Legacy, LLC.
McMillan adds, “Prince was loyal to Minnesota and he brought international attention and a legendary Funk music sound to this state. Drive on out to Paisley Park, check the purple signs, and join us for more celebration June 8th through 11th, as we celebrate Prince.”
Attorney L. Londell McMillan attended Governor Walz’s bill-signing ceremony alongside local/state politicians such as Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, State Senator Julia E. Colema, and Chanhassen Mayor Elise Ryan as well as Prince’s sister Sharon Nelson.
