To mourn for those lost and impacted by the Saugus Shooting, Saugus alumni and the Santa Clarita community are coming together to host a vigil titled, ‘Saugus Strong’ at Central Park Sunday at 7 p.m. to help the community heal together after this tragedy.
It will take place on Field 2 at Central Park, where the city hosts its Concerts in the Park events. Candles are not permitted in the park, so organizers will be providing attendees with glow sticks in Saugus High School colors instead.
Though there is parking available at Central Park, a high volume of people are expected to attend so there will be additional parking made available. There is street parking down Bouquet Canyon Road, along with parking at Bouquet Canyon Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Originally, the event was created by members of the community, including Saugus alumni. Sebastian Cazares, student body president at College of the Canyons and Saugus alum, has been a lead organizer within the group collective that created “Saugus Strong.”
“(The community) are running a vigil to unite our community and honor all those impacted by this tragedy,” said Cazares. “…I hope Santa Clarita can come together and be there for one another.”
Once the city saw the call for the vigil, the city reached out to their organizers to help organize the event, said Carrie Lujan, communications manager at the city of Santa Clarita.
“It is a chance for the community to begin the healing process and a safe place to grieve,” said Lujan. “The community is coming together and are wrapping their arms around one another.”
Different businesses throughout the city are showing their support for the event in the form of free coffee, hot chocolate, t-shirts, glow sticks and more. It was a community effort, according to Lujan.
“We are sponsoring this vigil because we want to create a place where our community can come together and show that we are a community strong,” said Marsha McLean, mayor of Santa Clarita. “Also, we want to show our support not only for the Saugus High School children, but to all the children at our schools.”
