Clark County is hosting the “Remembering 1 October” exhibit from Monday, Sept. 30 through Thursday, Oct. 10 in the Rotunda Gallery, located on the first floor of the Clark County Government Center in downtown Las Vegas at 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Building hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The exhibit features a selection of items from the Clark County Museum’s 22,000-piece 1 October collection including banners, letters, cowboy hats, stuffed animals and mementos left at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and other locations as offerings of grief and support following the attack at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Oct. 1, 2017.

“The anniversary of 1 October is an important time to remember all those who were affected by the tragedy,” said Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom. “From our brave first responders to the countless caring citizens who sprang into action to help, we showed the world a side to Las Vegas that many people weren’t aware of. Our community’s response in the face of such darkness is something we can be forever proud of.”

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a model of the “Forever One Memorial.” This concept, created by JCJ Architecture, was selected to serve as the community’s permanent memorial by Clark County’s 1 October Memorial Committee and approved by the County Commission following a three-year effort to gather ideas and input from the public. The Vegas Strong Fund, a local nonprofit group that has been involved with extensive 1 October-related charitable endeavors, was chosen by the Clark County Commission this spring to oversee construction and fundraising efforts to build the memorial. More information about that effort will be unveiled soon. Representatives from the Vegas Strong Fund will be in the Rotunda Gallery following the annual Sunrise Remembrance Ceremony in Clark County’s outdoor amphitheater at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, in addition to staff from the Resiliency and Justice Center, which continues to offer counseling and other assistance to anyone affected by the tragedy. 

"Clark County is committed to remembering the lives that were lost as a result of the 1 October tragedy and the lives that have been changed forever,” said Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, whose Commission district includes the festival site where the incident occurred. “Our annual exhibit and remembrance ceremony are an important way to wrap our arms around those who suffer, to let them know they are not alone or forgotten, and also to remember the tremendous strength, unity and compassion that our community has continued to demonstrate in the years since.”

The “Remembering 1 October” exhibit also will include The Art of Healing mural and Angels of Love displays created in remembrance of the first anniversary of 1 October, and a sculpture featuring two glass butterflies with purple and orange wings entitled El Camino Illuminado, “The Lighted Path,” to represent those who have succumbed to their injuries in the years after 2017. The Art of Healing Mural was created by local artists and students at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts high school. It contains nine large panels with teddy bear images representing the 58 lives lost the night of the tragedy on Oct. 1, 2017, and condolence messages the public was invited to write the first year it was on display. The Angels of Love exhibit was created by a California-based nonprofit as a gift to Clark County and the community. It contains stained-glass angels in remembrance of those who perished and the hundreds who were injured, as well as memorabilia dedicated to first responders who assisted victims.

“Out of unthinkable violence, our community also experienced an outpouring of love and support for the victims of the tragedy and each other,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who has worked closely with the survivor community. “The anniversary of 1 October is an opportunity to honor all those who were affected by the tragedy and also to celebrate the strength and resiliency that our community has continued to demonstrate over the last seven years.”

The Clark County Museum launched a significant effort to collect, catalogue and preserve the thousands of items left at the Welcome sign and other locations to help tell the story of how our community reacted to the mass shooting. More than 60 volunteers spent 18 months cataloging artifacts. Photographs of the items in the museum’s Remembering 1 October Collection are on its website at https://tinyurl.com/ybvvwsj6. Appointments can be made to view items that are in storage. The museum also is collecting stories about items left at memorial sites. An online form to share information is on its website at https://tinyurl.com/yybjtes2.

A list of community-related 1 October remembrance events scheduled during September and October is available on the Resiliency & Justice Center’s website at https://resiliencyandjustice.org/calendar/remembrance/.

The organization, formerly called the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, was established by Clark County, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and other community partners in the days following the 1 October tragedy.

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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability.  With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.4 million citizens and 45.6 million visitors a year (2023). Included are the nation’s 5th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.