LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Forever One Memorial to remember the victims and survivors of the Route 91 music festival shooting will soon be built along the Strip at the site of the tragedy.
The $34 million project on 2 1/2 acres is set to open on the 10-year anniversary of the shooting — Oct. 1, 2027. Survivors and families of those lost were able to walk the grounds for the first time Thursday evening to see how it will be laid out.
Also, for the first time since Oct. 1, 2017, music filled the space on what became hallowed ground that night, when 58 people lost their lives, including Mynda Smith’s sister.
“This space was always something that was so painful. Losing my sister Neysa and then having to drive by it and seeing just dirt and to me just something that showed grief and evil and just nothing good,” Smith said. “I want this to be something that’s beautiful, that’s healing and honors not only the 58 Angels, but those that survived it.”
Survivors return to site
Some survivors returned to the site for the first time for the site walkthrough, including Christine Jeanette, who was at the concert with her husband.
“I can just feel the power right now. I feel it within me,” Jeanette said. “I have to be honest. I just visited the Healing Garden for the first time on Tuesday myself. I went there to ground myself and I just felt the power of the 58 angels surrounding me.”
On the eve of May 8 — or 5/8 — they came to remember the 58 lives lost. Jeanette, a teacher at Cadwallader Middle School, now has her students create angel wings to learn the stories of those lost each year.
Students held the wings in front of photos of the 58 lives lost during a moment of remembrance. On each of the 58 spots, a giant candle will be built, its light shooting into the sky.
“I just think it’s so important to be able to have this transformation that so many people can heal with,” Jeanette said.
Memorial design
White paint on the asphalt outlines the footprint of the memorial including the Path of Remembrance which will be lined with pavers, each with a personalized message.
“It’s such an amazing place for people to come to heal on the Vegas Strip,” Jeanette said.
Where survivors and loved ones of the lost stood to listen to songs about that night, an amphitheater will be built, and the space will be filled with music once again — what brought so many people to the site in the first place on Oct. 1, 2017.
“We have to remember what happened here,” Jeanette said. “I really think this living memorial is just going to do that for generations to come.”
Groundbreaking is set for this fall. Twenty-two million dollars has been raised so far. The pavers for the path of remembrance are still up for sale as part of the fundraising effort. More information is available at https://foreveronememorial.org/.
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