LEWISTON, Maine — The City of Lewiston and Maine MILL, a history and culture museum located in downtown Lewiston, are working to gather all memorial items that people left behind at the different mass shooting locations and throughout the cities of Lewiston and Auburn. The items will be all gathered, documented, and safeguarded to preserve these memorials before more inclement weather sets in.
City of Lewiston, public works employees, and Maine Mill staff members were planning to collect all of the items from 8 to 10: 15 a.m. Tuesday, making stops at Just-In-Time Recreation, Raymond Park, and the Schemengees Bar & Grille.
Maine artist Tanja Hollander is assisting the museum in curating and helping with the display of the items.
"When this happened, I knew that I needed to save the things that were important that the community made because it's really important for history and also for the families to know how the community wrapped their arms around the families and the victims," Hollander said.
The collected items include candles, signs, posters, letters, stuffed animals, and artisanal woodwork.
Maine MILL and Hollander are also coordinating with affected families to honor their desires regarding these items, while also considering potential future display opportunities.
Rachel Ferrante, executive director at Maine MILL, said victim and survivor advocates from the Maine attorney general's office are working with the museum to offer these items first to the affected family members.
"We are keeping everything that's not organic, so obviously we can't keep all of the pumpkins and we can't keep all of the flowers, though we have photographed many of the pumpkins and many of the flowers in an effort to preserve that memorial. But anything that won't rot in any sense we are keeping," Ferrante said.
The handmade wooden Christmas trees just outside each of the mass shooting locations with the names of each victim will remain on display there until after Jan. 1.