Lyons recalls grit, grace and gratitude at anniversary
A variety of officials and representatives gathered at Sandstone Park Sunday
Ten years after the 2013 flood, the town of Lyons displayed that it still has grit, grace and gratitude at a commemorative event Sunday at Sandstone Park, 350 Broadway St.
A variety of local and state officials and representatives gathered among community members to observe how the town was affected by the flood and to celebrate the recovery process.
Lyons Mayor Holly Rogin kicked off the event by recalling that fateful day in September of 2013 when many Lyons residents were woken up by the sound of the flood sirens. She talked about how Lyons came together to work to rebuild and announced that Sunday was called Grit, Grace and Gratitude Day.
Victoria Simonsen has been the Lyons town administrator for over 10 years. At Sunday’s event, she recalled how she alerted the community that the flood had destroyed the canyons above Lyons and that a third of the community needed to make plans to stay elsewhere. She said Lyons became a collection of islands due to the high waters.
With cloudy skies on Sunday at Sandstone Park, Simonsen and some community members said the day was reminiscent of the dark days in September of 2013.
“I remember I promised, and it was a full park that day, that there would be a silver lining to all of this. And I reassured to everyone that disasters oftentimes present opportunities to build back stronger, better and more resilient,” Simonsen said.
Simonsen held back tears as she recalled the moment 10 years ago when she made the decision — with or without quite realizing it herself — that she would see the recovery process through until the end.
Julie Van Domelen, Ly