Station Fire Memorial Park to be dedicated Sunday

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) — After 14 years in the works, a dedication of the permanent memorial at the site of The Station nightclub is set for Sunday.

The West Warwick club caught fire Feb. 20, 2003, killing 100 people and injuring 200 more.

Investigators said fireworks set off by the group Great White ignited foam that had been installed as soundproofing.

About $2 million was raised over several years to make the Station Fire Memorial Park a reality.

“A lot of heart. A lot of soul. And a lot of physical work by a lot of people,” Joy King of Warwick, whose brother Tracy was killed in the fire, told NBC 10 News on Friday.

King has been one of the driving forces behind completing the project.

“It was Rhode Island that kept on pushing us and making us feel like it should be done,” King said. “A lot of thought went into it.”

The memorial at theCowesett Avenue site features a courtyard, gardens and a walkway. Each victim's name is engraved on stones shaped like speaker boxes to reflect their love of music, while circular areas were made to look like albums.

“They did a good job,” Bob Johnson, whose son Derek died in the fire, said of the memorial. “I think of how much I miss him. It's 14 years. It's like yesterday.”

King shared similar sentiments. When asked what was going through his mind as he was visiting the memorial, he said, “Still the same thing. 'I love you, Trace.'”

The memorial also pays tribute to survivors, family members, first responders and other groups that responded to the tragedy. King hopes it brings peace to many people who have experienced so much pain for so many years.

“I hope they finally feel the relief of something finally being done here,” he said. “I hope they can walk through here and feel solace.”

NBC 10's Gene Valicenti will lead the dedication ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

The ceremony will be broadcast on OSN (Cox Cable channels 5 and 1005) and streamed on turnto10.com.