Residents honored the memories of loved ones tonight during the Light Up a Life event at Heritage Square Park & Gazebo in Arroyo Grande.
The event — organized by Hospice SLO County — offered the community an opportunity to come together and remember loved ones who are no longer living.
It also offered support during a particularly rough time for those grieving — the holiday season.
“This time of year can be really hard for people who have lost someone," Shannon McOuat, executive director of Hospice SLO County, said. "And this is an important opportunity for people to come out either on their own, or with family, or with friends to honor someone that they’ve lost."
McOuat said people can come to light a candle and hear their loved one's name read aloud, or, alternatively, can sit among other community members who have also lost someone "knowing they are not alone."
It's the 39th annual Light Up a Life event. Four ceremonies will be held this year — tonight's was the second.
The next event is at St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church in Morro Bay on December 5. The final one is on December 13 in Atascadero at the Pavilion on the Lake.
There will also be a ceremony to honor pets, called Paws to Remember, on December 6.
You can learn more at the Hospice SLO County calendar on its website.
