Friends, family, and community members will gather in Loring Park on Saturday, Sept. 12 for a candlelight vigil to remember the life of Joel Larson, a young man who was murdered in that park in 1991.

Larson’s family and friends successfully raised funds last year to have a memorial bench placed in the park. That bench was installed earlier this summer.

“Please join us for a candlelight vigil and bench dedication in honor of Joel Larson,” the event announcement states. “He was a bright and shining star who was taken far too soon in the name of ignorance and hate. Let’s gather in Loring Park, 24 years, 1 month and 12 days after his murder, to celebrate his life and show the world we remember his light.”

For more information on Larson’s death, and more importantly his life, read The Column’s piece from 2014 about his life and the efforts to remember him: Turning anti-gay hate into love with a Loring Park memorial to Joel Larson.

Dedication for the memorial bench begins at 6:30pm with Sen. Scott Dibble serving as keynote speaker followed by a candlelight vigil and a walk along the Loring Greenway beginning at 8pm. Attendees will then celebrate Larson’s life with an after party at Six15 in the Grand Hotel from 9pm to midnight. more information is available at Facebook.