Behind the Headlines

I was at Munson Park today for the balloon release in memory of Nevaeh Buchanan.

The Monroe Evening News had a photographer on scene, as did most of the Toledo and Detroit news media outlets. You’ll see those news reports in the Sunday papers and on the local newscasts this weekend.

In the meantime, these are some of the pictures I took as the people balloons were on standby, waiting for the procession.

As the vehicle approached, the crowd of people lined N. Custer Rd. and released their balloons as the hearse passed by. After the balloons were sent up to the sky, everyone stood at the road in silence.

This was a very family-oriented gathering with lots of young children in the crowd. The park was a great place for the kids to play or have a picnic while the families waited for the balloon release.

This event evolved on the MonroeTalks forums Thursday night so this was arranged on short notice, but word got out out pretty well. I talked with a few people who said they learned about it from reading the newspaper articles Friday and today. It also was listed on various facebook pages and twitter feeds.

I didn’t have any balloons of my own, but one of the MonroeTalkers gave me a bag of balloons to open at the appropriate time. That’s why I don’t have any pictures of balloons flying — I was busy trying to get my balloons to fly to cue.

That’s OK, there were lots of other cameras at the park. You’ll see better photos in the area newspapers tomorrow. There’s also been discussion about the MonroeTalkers who had cameras posting their photos on the web.

– Paula Wethington