October 1 remembrance events set; Las Vegas to mark 7th anniversary

Remembrance events marking the seventh anniversary of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas Strip mass shooting are set for the Clark County Government Center in downtown Las Vegas.

A Sunrise Remembrance Ceremony will be at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 1.

Sixty people were killed in the shooting attack during the Route 91 Harvest Festival, and hundreds were wounded. It remains the worst mass casualty shooting event in modern United States history.

“The anniversary of 1 October is an important time to remember all those who were affected by the tragedy,” Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom said in a county news release. “From our brave first responders to the countless caring citizens who sprang into action to help, we showed the world a side to Las Vegas that many people weren’t aware of. Our community’s response in the face of such darkness is something we can be forever proud of.”

Remembering 1 October

Clark County is hosting the “Remembering 1 October” exhibit from Sept. 30 through Oct. 10 in the Rotunda Gallery, on the first floor of the government center at 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Building hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The exhibit features a selection of items from the Clark County Museum’s 22,000-piece 1 October collection including banners, letters, cowboy hats, stuffed animals and mementos left at the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign and other locations as offerings of grief and support following the shooting.

Forever One Memorial

The centerpiece of this year’s exhibit is a model of the “Forever One Memorial.” The concept, created by JCJ Architecture, was selected to serve as the community’s permanent memorial by Clark County’s 1 October Memorial Committee and approved by the County Commission following a three-year effort to gather ideas and input from the public.

The Art of Healing mural

The “Remembering 1 October” exhibit also will include The Art of Healing mural and Angels of Love displays created in remembrance of the first anniversary of 1 October, and a sculpture featuring two glass butterflies with purple and orange wings entitled El Camino Illuminado, “The Lighted Path,” to represent those who have succumbed to their injuries in the years after 2017.

The Art of Healing mural was created by local artists and students at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts high school. It contains nine large panels with teddy bear images representing the 58 lives lost the night of the tragedy, and condolence messages the public was invited to write the first year it was on display.

Angels of Love

The Angels of Love exhibit was created by a California-based nonprofit as a gift to Clark County and the community. It contains stained-glass angels in remembrance of those who perished and the hundreds who were injured, as well as memorabilia dedicated to first responders who assisted victims.

“Out of unthinkable violence, our community also experienced an outpouring of love and support for the victims of the tragedy and each other,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who has worked closely with the survivor community. “The anniversary of 1 October is an opportunity to honor all those who were affected by the tragedy and also to celebrate the strength and resiliency that our community has continued to demonstrate over the last seven years.”

List of events

A list of community-related 1 October remembrance events scheduled during September and October is available on the Resiliency & Justice Center’s website at https://resiliencyandjustice.org/calendar/remembrance/.

The organization, formerly called the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, was established by Clark County, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and other community partners in the days following the tragedy.

The Clark County Museum launched a significant effort to collect, catalogue and preserve the thousands of items left at the Welcome sign and other locations to help tell the story of how our community reacted to the mass shooting. More than 60 volunteers spent 18 months cataloging artifacts.

Photographs of the items in the museum’s Remembering 1 October Collection are on its website at https://tinyurl.com/ybvvwsj6. Appointments can be made to view items that are in storage. The museum also is collecting stories about items left at memorial sites. An online form to share information is on its website at https://tinyurl.com/yybjtes2.