Photo from StationInk.com
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
The devastating Station Nightclub Fire that claimed the lives of 100 people and left countless others injured and grieving happened 10 years ago Feb. 20. To commemorate the momentous anniversary, and to remember the lives of those lost and pay tribute to the survivors, one woman has organized a fundraising event for the Station Nightclub Memorial Foundation.
Paula McGlaughlin, who lost her brother and sister-in-law in the 2003 blaze, organized "Station Ink," a photo gallery of those with tattoos to honor the survivors and victims of the Station Fire. The exhibit opens tonight at the Pawtucket Armory.
McGlaughlin gathered more than 60 people who got tattoos after the Station Nightclub Fire and had them professionally photographed. Large prints of those photos will hang in the Armory this weekend for public display. Some of the people pictured got tattoos of loved ones' faces, while others got tattoos with subtler messages; one woman got a tattoo of a flying pig because her daughter, who died in the fire, loved them.
"It's very moving," McGlaughlin told Gene Valicenti on the WPRO Morning News Thursday, "Very powerful to see."
The event is free, but donations to the Station Nightclub Memorial Foundation are strongly encouraged. "Station Ink" will be held at the Pawtucket Armory, 172 Exchange Street tonight, Friday, Feb. 15 from 7 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 17 from Noon to 6 p.m. Click here for additional details.
