ASHLAND -- In Ashland Friday night, more than a dozen people gathered to remember children who have died. It was the second annual vigil in downtown Ashland, sponsored by Ashland Downtown Incorporated.
The vigil, held on the eve of the tragic mass shooting in Connecticut, was planned for Firday night long before the tragedy.
Luminaries were marked with the names of those who have died, including those at Sandy Hook Elementary.
"Even people here in Ashland are upset about what happened there even though it didn't directly affect them, and it may draw more people out tonight than it would have normally," said Tom Rebuck of Downtown Ashland Incorporated.
The pain of losing a child was all too real for many at the vigil.
The park where the vigil is held each year was built after a deadly fire destroyed several buildings back in 2008.
That fire killed a three year old and a five year old.
Their mother who was at the vigil said she thinks of them every day.
"It never gets easier, and you always wonder, you know, it's been four years now and you always wonder what they would be like, where they would be right now, time doesn't heal everything," said Angie Klinger of Ashland.
Connie Wydra was at the vigil too. She lost a baby who was just 18 days old.
She said the parents who lost children in the Connecticut Elementary shooting will need time and above all else support to carry on.
"It's a long process and I don't think a mother ever really gets over it, it's something that stays with you til the day you leave and you go to heaven," said Wydra.