![]() ![]() “Dave Pace and Kevin Laird of Brookhaven Monument designed it and laid it out, took what we gave them and made it into what it is,” Nelson said. What people will see in Amite County is a black granite marker that is 8 feet tall and 14 feet wide with steps leading up to the monument. It would give fans something to see, touch, remember, and have a picture of when visiting the crash site,” Nelson said.Īs donations poured in, the group planning the memorial opted to go bigger. “We had an idea for a highway marker near the crash site on Hwy. 20 was originally planned as a green marker from the Department of Archives and History or possibly a Blues Trail marker through the Mississippi Development Authority. Judy Van Zant, widow of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, and Corrina Gaines, daughter of guitarist Steve Gaines and niece of backup singer Cassie Gaines, plan to attend the dedication. ![]() Pat Nelson, one of the organizers of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project, which has partnered with the Southwest Medical Foundation, has confirmations from several family members of those who perished in the crash. The unveiling is free and open to the public. Dwain Easley was one of the rescuers that night. ![]() The memorial will sit on land donated by Dwain and Lola Easley on Easley Road, just off Hwy. about 400 yards from the actual crash site, which is difficult to navigate because of trees, vines and marsh. Information provided by The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.A computer rendering shows the monument planned for the Lynyrd Skynyrd crash site.įorty-two years after a plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd to their next sold-out show crashed in a Southwest Mississippi swamp, a monument to honor the band members and their crew who died will be unveiled near that fateful spot in Gillsburg. listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and having way, way, way too much fun.” She said local hospital employees worked through the night to help crash victims without knowing some of them were famous.Ĭurrie said she has always been a fan of the band’s music: “I spent a lot of time in the summers. ![]() Beckie Currie of Brookhaven, who was a student nurse at the time of the crash. Among those pushing for it was Republican Rep. Mississippi legislators passed a bill requiring the state to provide exit signs for the crash monument. And that was without directions leading to the remote site 8 miles west of Interstate 55 - in a place with no cellphone service for navigation. The monument has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in southwest Mississippi, since drawing 4,500 people from 13 countries, 39 states and five Canadian provinces. It’s very difficult to get to, and there are no markings,” said Bobby McDaniel, president of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project. “People were always asking where the crash site is. Three large granite markers were put up in Gillsburg in 2019, but until the exit signs were recently added, many drivers were clueless to find the site in a wooded area near the Louisiana state line. Those killed were singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. ![]()
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