SANDPOINT — In a time of darkness, Thursday’s candlelight vigil became a moment of community and love.

“I just thought we all needed to come together and show some love,” organizer Lyndsy Walson said.

The event served as both a tribute to those who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001, and a memorial for Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, who was reportedly assassinated Wednesday at a college event in Orem, Utah.

Organized in less than a day, the vigil drew about 70 people, including young families, longtime residents and about a half-dozen local firefighters who attended to honor those lost on 9/11. Both electric tealights and candles were handed out before the group walked to the Statue of Liberty replica at Sandpoint City Beach.

“Tonight we are pulling together to create something beautiful,” Walson said. “Let us grieve together. Let us find our sense of community within each other. Let us share and create a beautiful moment to cling to.”

Rather than anger or division, the night was about love and unity — coming together to shine light into the darkness, Walson said. Gratuitous violence, she added, should have no place in the country or in Americans’ hearts. Instead, she encouraged the community to respond to darkness with love.

“Let us not live in fear but rather in courage — to face each day with love, the courage to do the right thing, especially when no one is watching,” she said. “Let us lead by example. Let us stand together. Let us allow this night to strengthen our hearts, our community and our integrity.”

Among those attending Thursday’s vigil were Jeff and Jenny Patterson, who saw Walson’s post on social media. They appreciated the opportunity to honor both those lost on Sept. 11 and Kirk.

“I don’t think there is one side to blame,” Jeff Patterson said. “It doesn’t come down to one person or one group.”

Patterson said he and his wife liked that the vigil served as a way to unite the community without division or agendas.

“I don’t know where we go from here, but I hope that starting now we can start heading in the other direction,” he said.

Adam and Gretchen Herb attended to pay their respects to Kirk and honor first responders who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.

“We wanted to come and show our support and pray and be here in solidarity,” Adam Herb said.

They hope the vigil will inspire the community to come together, support one another and embrace Christ.

“I hope we see more people coming together to try and support each other and care for each other and pray with each other,” Adam Herb said. “I hope we see more of that.”

Gretchen Herb agreed.

“I think everybody is just sensing that something’s got to change,” she said. “I don’t know exactly what that is, but a lot of what I’ve heard — and felt myself — is that it starts in our own homes, raising our kids and making sure we leave the next generation better than we are.”

One attendee led a prayer for Kirk, asking God to look after his widow and young children and to inspire a revival of faith and peace.

“The joy of the Lord is our strength,” the man prayed. “And God, we just look to you, we trust in you and we know that you’re with us. … We thank you for Charlie’s life and the mark that he had on every single one of us.”

In his prayer, he encouraged those gathered to introduce themselves to their neighbors and show love to all.

Several attendees encouraged others to thank the community’s first responders, with many approaching the firefighters who came to honor those who died in service Sept. 11 and in the years that followed.

Walson said she came up with the idea for the vigil after realizing nothing had been planned to honor those lost Sept. 11. She also wanted to give the community a place to pay tribute to Kirk. She posted a message on social media asking if anyone wanted to gather.

“I thought we all needed to come together and show some love,” Walson said. “There’s too much of the other bizarre happenings in the world, and we could all use a dose of love.”

Friends who saw the post agreed, prompting Walson to make it public. It was quickly shared.

Walson said she wanted the event to be inclusive — to show how the community can come together.

“Absolutely, 9/11. And yes, absolutely, Charlie Kirk,” she said. “I didn’t think it needed to be exclusionary, and I didn’t think it needed to be for one thing or another. I just thought it needed to be a show of love — that our community needed love.”

It’s that sense of community that makes the Sandpoint area so special, Walson said. She wanted the vigil to reflect that spirit. In the end, she said, it was everything she had hoped for.

“I didn’t 100% know what to expect,” she said. “I just felt guided, and everything fell into place the way it was supposed to.”

    A pair of local residents were among the 70 or so residents who attending a candlelight vigil Thursday in honor of those lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to honor the life of Charlie Kirk.
  

    Lyndsy and Eric Walson speak at Thursday's candlelight vigil in honor of those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to honor the life of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
  

    A woman holds a candle during Thursday's candlelight vigil.