Museum of Boulder to preserve King Soopers memorial

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BOULDER, Colo. — More than a week since the tragic shooting at the Table Mesa King Soopers, hundreds of people have visited the memorial outside of the grocery store, leaving behind thousands of flowers, cards, and pieces of art to honor the 10 victims of the shooting.

Now, the Museum of Boulder is launching the “Boulder Strong Project” to collect and preserve some of the items left at the memorial.

The museum hasn’t decided yet if they will display the items or archive them behind the scenes.

“It's definitely not an effort to someday have this grandiose exhibit,” said Lori Preston, the museum’s executive director, in an interview with KUNC. “We just need to listen to our community right now to find out what they need to heal, what they need to process, where do they need to go five years from now on this date to absorb what happened.”

In addition to the memorials, community members have participated in multiple vigils since the shooting.

On March 25, hundreds gathered for a vigil at Boulder's Fairview High School to honor the victims and decry gun violence.

"There are 10 empty spaces in our hearts," a speaker said.

The City of Boulder has posted several resources for people interested in hosting their own vigils. You can find those resources here.

The museum’s announcement of the Boulder Strong Project comes as the city is politely asking people to stop contributing to the memorial, which grew exponentially in size in the days after the shooting.

The Museum of Boulder has been in contact with museums in Orlando and Las Vegas, two cities that have experienced horrific mass shootings in recent years. Preston said the other museums encouraged the Museum of Boulder staff to prepare for the “toll that it can take working with materials that deal with grief.”

Another memorial at the Boulder Police Department honors the memory of Officer Eric Talley, who was killed in the shooting. A police vehicle outside the station is covered with flowers and signs.

Talley, 51, was the first officer at the scene of the shooting. He was killed in the attack. His funeral service took place March 30.