Saturday, April 7 2007, the day before Easter, marked the seventh anniversary of the opening of the park. A memorial service was held featuring guest speakers and live music. The day was overcast, windy, and extremely cold with snow flurries in the forecast. It turned out to be the coldest day in April in Texas in the last 69 years. April 7 is also Amy's birthday.
I arrived an hour early to shoot the park before the ceremony began. It is an eerie feeling walking alone among the many white crosses. The top of each cross states the victim's date of birth and the date of death is at the bottom. The one thing that becomes immediately apparent is that this is a living, breathing park. Many of the crosses are adorned with flowers, mementos, and odd and unusual items that once belonged to the victims. Except for an occasional car or truck passing by, it is quiet in the park. There is a beautiful bronze statue of two children playing, that at first sight, seems to be out of place. Later, Greg Price explained to me that the park has come to represent much more than just a memorial place with crosses. It is an "affirmation of life" he told me. Greg described how in the beginning he, Ric Nesbit and Carolyn Barker wanted this park to be for the living, for the survivors of the victims.
A small crowd starts to gather for the memorial.
The father of Sheri Coulsen
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Family members and visitors decorate the crosses with flowers, photos, and other unique items. Sometimes personal, intimate items from the victims are displayed in a silent, moving display of sorrow, love, and ultimately hope.
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A young mother and her child have just entered the park
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