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WESTPORT, Conn. – Several Westport residents are planning to light 27 luminaries on their lawns Friday night in memory of the victims of last Friday’s mass shooting at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Resident Susan Carson came up with the idea and is hoping to create a chain of lights throughout town by encouraging others to participate and spread the word.
“We have all been affected by the tragedy in Newtown, and we are all coping in our own way. But I myself have been struggling with how to go on preparing for holiday celebrations when I feel like I should be doing something to acknowledge my grief,” Carson wrote in an email to friends and neighbors.
“So, I have decided to light 27 luminaries in front of my house this Friday night, Dec. 21, in honor of the 27 angels now added to the heavens, to mark the end of one of the most painful weeks in our community's history, and the beginning of its recovery.
“I share this only as an idea. If it suits you, please join me and share with your friends,” Carson wrote.
Luminaries can be made using lunch-sized paper bags and votive candles. Each bag should be filled with about two inches of sand. This will keep the bag in place and safeguards against fire. If you don’t have sand, cat litter also works. Once the sand or cat litter is in place, nestle a candle in the center of each bag. It is recommended the candles be lit with a long-stem lighter.
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