Love For VB: Remembering May 31, 2019

As the seven-year commemoration of May 31 approaches, we invite the community to join us in our plans for remembering the victims of this tragedy.

5/31 Remembrance Ceremony and Memorial Unveiling

Gather and remember those we lost and lift up survivors and all those still healing. In this seventh year of remembrance, the 5/31 Memorial will officially be unveiled. The event also will include a moment of silence, reading of names and moments for reflection.  

The ceremony will be 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, at the memorial site, located at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Nimmo Parkway by Building 30 at the Municipal Center, 2508 Princess Anne Road. It will be livestreamed on VirginiaBeach.gov/media and the City’s Facebook page. The event is free and open to the public. 

Parking is limited close to the ceremony site. For those attending the ceremony, street parking is available near Building 30. Parking also is available at Building 6, 2512 George Mason Drive, where shuttles can take attendees to the ceremony and back. 

“Love For VB”

As in past years, the Love for VB symbol — the forget-me-not-flower — will be prevalent around the city.

• A detailed model of the 5/31 Memorial is on view on the second floor of the Joint-Use Library now through June. This special display offers a thoughtful look at the design and vision behind the memorial, providing a meaningful space for reflection and remembrance. 
• The forget-me-not flower will again be painted at Mount Trashmore Park on the front façade of the hill just below the City seal.
• The Love For VB symbol is displayed in the “Love” sign at the Virginia Beach Animal Care and Adoption Center.
• Remembrance flags featuring the Love For VB flower will fly at more than 40 locations citywide.  
• Various locations, including Building 30, the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, the Greenwich Flyover and Lesner Bridge, will light up blue in remembrance.  

Remembrance and reflection are a personal experience for many. Here are a few ways you can remember in your own way and show “Love For VB.”  

• Wear blue, the color of remembrance, on May 31.
• Add a “Love For VB” Facebook frame to your profile picture. There is a new one to choose from, along with options from previous years.
• Gain the therapeutic benefits of coloring by completing a new coloring sheet and place it somewhere visible for all to see. Full color options are also available, along with sheets from previous years.  

Moment of Silence

Individuals can also show “Love for VB” by participating in a moment of silence at 4:06 p.m., the time the first 911 call was received, on Sunday, May 31. Individuals are asked to pause wherever they are at that time. 

For more information, visit LoveForVB.com.

• Love For VB