12/08/2023
THIS Sunday, December 10, is the 2023 Silverton Angel of Hope Candle Lighting and Name Reading Memorial. Please join us at 7pm for this somber reflection of those we’ve lost.
New this year is a special entrance solely for those attending the memorial, to avoid being caught in the Garden Resort Christmas Market traffic. The entrance, at 602 Eureka Ave, will be staffed and marked with reflective signage, and vehicles will only be allowed to turn right upon entering the Oregon Garden road, and head downhill to the parking area adjacent to the Angel of Hope memorial - Christmas Market traffic will not be allowed to use this entrance. Note: the access road gate will be closed by our team at 7:20pm - guests should plan to leave following the event by continuing downhill to the normal Garden exit.
This event, and parking in the designated area are both free to all attendees. Plan to arrive before 7pm to have plenty of time to enjoy a warm beverage and cookie compliments of the Silverton Kiwanis Club, and to either add a name or confirm a name on the list of those to be read. Candles and wax guards will be handed out to attendees, and will be lit by our team prior to the reading. It is not too late to email us at [email protected] to add a name.
Promptly at 7pm, Silverton Rotary Club President Mark Hunter will welcome those in attendance, lead us in a moment of silence, ask for our team to light all of the candles, then turn it over to our teams of readers.
Silverton’s Angel of Hope memorial is located approximately 200 feet Southeast of the Gordon House, within the general Oregon Garden footprint. The memorial was created by four couples, three of which have since relocated, and is part of a worldwide network of such statues based on the bestselling novel “The Christmas Box” by Richard Paul Evans. It was installed at its current location in 2011, when Silverton’s first memorial event took place.
The site is open to the public year-round as a place of hope for those we’ve lost. The area surrounding the statue is filled with stones engraved with messages from loved ones - we are actively working on an agreement with a vendor to be able to offer these to those of you who have asked about getting one.
The Rotary Club of Silverton has been privileged to oversee this event and the Angel memorial since being asked to in 2022. Thank you to to those partners in our community who help make this possible including the City of Silverton, The Oregon Garden, the Elizabeth Ashley Hoke Memorial Trust, and the Silverton Kiwanis Club.
