CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - A temporary Temple of Time in Coral Springs will be set ablaze to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Temple of Time, along the 9500 block of West Sample Road, stands 35 feet tall and was built in two weeks. On Sunday night, it is set to go up in flames in a symbolic and ceremonial burning.
“Nobody is going to forget,” said a man who visited the temple, Sunday afternoon.
The structure, located across from Coral Springs City Hall, will close at 5 p.m. ahead of the scheduled burn that will begin at 7 p.m. The burning is free and open to the public.
The temple opened on Valentine’s Day, on the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. For three months, people have come from far and wide to write messages on its walls.
“I think this is a beautiful thing they’re doing,” said the visitor.
The nature of the these profound notes ranges from grief and sorrow to joy and remembrance for the 17 people who lost their lives on Feb. 14, 2018.
“It’s to pay our respects to those who died, obviously, and for those who are left behind,” said Coral Springs resident Donna Restrepo. “The families, everybody. Coral Springs, Parkland.”
At the Temple of Time, art and reflection are woven together, cementing a connection between beauty and tragedy.
Over the past three months, the wooden installment has served as a space for anyone grieving to gather following the massacre.
“It felt very peaceful, and I actually was thinking about the victims of that day,” said Coral Springs resident Carlos Vasquez.
From its building to its burning, those affected by the structure said they will never forget that it means to them and their community.
The temple was always meant to be temporary, but for the Parkland community, its impact will be everlasting.
“The feeling you get when you walk in there, it will stick with you forever, for sure,” said a visitor.
“Even though it burns, the essence is still there,” said Vasquez, “the community getting together and really keeping these people in our hearts.”
The thoughts and threads inscribed on its walls were left by different people at different times. But after it burns to the ground, much like this community, it will go out together as one.
Sample Road will be closed in both directions from University Drive to Coral Hills Drive until 10 p.m.
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