A crowd of people wearing blue and holding signs converged at the Longley Bridge in Lewiston Friday afternoon for a vigil to remember those affected by the mass shooting two years ago that killed 18 people.
Cars honked as they passed the group, which included Richard Morlock. He was among a group of deaf friends who were playing cornhole at Schemengees Bar and Grille on Oct. 25, 2023, when the shooter came in.
"I'm still sad," Morlock shared in American Sign Language. "I miss four of my favorite deaf friends a lot. And now they're gone."
Ten people, including four deaf men, were killed at Schemengees. Eight others were killed at Just-in-Time Recreation.
Tracey Walker, whose husband Joe Walker was killed at Schemengees, said she recently met people who hadn't heard of the shootings.
"So doing this, the people who don't know what happened will have an idea," Walker said.
Several people at the vigil carried signs with large blue hearts, including Regina Schulman, who drove up from Massachusetts. It's a trip she has made regularly for the past two years to provide support as a counselor.
"Because I've grown to love this community, and I'm also awestruck at the healing that has happened here, and the fellowship and the community," Schulman said.
This year's remembrance is a shift from a large event held last year at the Lewiston Colisee. Shanna Cox, president of the LA Metro Chamber and a member of the One Lewiston Resilience Fund Committee, said people wanted to be able to mark the anniversary in more private gatherings.
"This year we wanted to empower people to remember," Cox said. "We're using the hashtags online 'One Lewiston' and 'Together We Remember' so that folks can share their memories and reflections from whatever place feels safe for them."
She encouraged the broader community to join in.
