1 October – #VegasStrong
I wrote about the horror of the Las Vegas massacre last year, not too long after it happened. While the rest of the world has moved on – as it should – the impact of the event still reverberates here in Las Vegas. Some of the rawness has dissipated, but it’s little more than a scabbed-over wound for many.
Some of the rawness has dissipated, but it’s little more than a scabbed-over wound for many.
As I like to say (and I can’t take credit for it), Las Vegas is really a small town with a lot of people in it. While many of those wounded and killed that day were from out of town, the locals who were killed touched most of our – the locals’ – lives.
There have been a couple of memorial exhibits throughout the year at the Clark County Government Center. The first one was the quilts project, which displayed quilts that people had sent from all over the world, and, most importantly, from many locals. That project was on display in June, and it garnered quite a bit of local attention.
To help curtail the possibility of vandalism – yes there are those types of people in the world – and to save room, the quilts were displayed in plexiglass enclosures. Sobering and emotional, it even attracted many employees, who tend to walk past exhibits with barely a glance. As I said before, it touched all of us.
The current exhibit is the first one with crosses, paintings of the victims, and teddy bear art. Why teddy bear art? Because teddy bears are given to children or those who have undergone extreme trauma. This time, the teddies are joyful, as they give hope for the future. It is called the Las Vegas Portrait Project, 1 October Memorial Exhibit, as it honors those who were lost. The link goes directly to the Clark County News Release about the exhibit and goes into much detail than I do. The exhibit will be available for people to see until October 19.
I will always be ranting about the stupid decisions made by the casinos on the Strip, yet always celebrating all of the fun that can be found here.
There’s one thing that I have to say, and this is from me personally. I still look at Las Vegas as a haven for fun, a departure from the everyday, and I will always be ranting about the stupid decisions made by the casinos on the Strip, yet always celebrating all of the fun that can be found here. I think I speak for many locals when I say that we’re still heartbroken about what happened to those people who view Vegas the way that we do: a haven from the grinds of everyday life. You came into our house where you were welcome, and you were hurt. We continue to mourn with you and are so sorry that this happened.
On Monday, October 1 at 6:30 am, there will be a sunrise memorial service in the amphitheater of the Government Center. If you are able to attend, be sure to wear something to honor the memories if you can. I’ll be wearing my black #VegasStrong shirt.
#VegasStrong
