COVID ribbon memorial along the beach pays tribute to Floridians who died in pandemic
On a gray, windswept Tuesday morning along a stretch of roiling beach, volunteers held up an 850-foot twine chain with 29,000 colored ribbons. Each ribbon represented one Floridian who died from COVID-19 during the pandemic.
“We are going to lift up these beautiful ribbons to remember the beauty of life today, tomorrow and always,” Rabbi Stacy Offner said, leading a moment of silence during the memorial tribute on Anna Maria beach. The memorial, held off Spring Avenue and The Sand Bar restaurant, was the idea of artist Cathy Tobias.
“Our goal today is to bring the community together so that we can remember them and celebrate their lives, express our grief and find a way forward,” Tobias said as the dull gray day gave way to sunlight and blue skies.
The twisting of ribbons, tightly bunched onto the twine rope, helped Tobias grapple with the magnitude of “a tragedy too difficult to comprehend” and to grieve for the lives lost.
Some of the volunteers at Tuesday’s memorial wrote the names of loved ones lost to the disease on the ribbons. Tobias said she hopes that the memorial can be shown elsewhere in the Bradenton-Sarasota area to help others grieve.
“In the COVID world, a lot of people died alone without their families being able to visit them,” Tobias said.
In November when Tobias and volunteers started working on the memorial, about 16,000 Floridians had already died from the disease. On Tuesday, Tobias said she was overwhelmed by the presentation of the memorial stretching down the beach, and with a feeling of gratitude for the 100 or so volunteers who helped make the tribute a reality.
Bob and Roxanne Dinkin of Bradenton came Tuesday to show their support.
“We have hardly left the house except to go shopping,” Bob Dinkin said, adding that he and his wife are still waiting for their first COVID-19 vaccination.
“I think it is a wonderful thing that Cathy Tobias has created. We wanted to come and support the event and our friend Cathy,” Roxanne Dinkin said.
James McKay also took part in the memorial.
“When the memorial is stretched out, it’s amazing to see how many people in Florida have died. It is really spectacular to see people come together to memorialize the people who have died,” McKay said.
Nora Leven estimated she tied about 500 of the ribbons for the memorial.
“It is amazing to see, and sad at the same time,” she said.
David Tillman said he was struck by the symbolism of one ribbon for each life lost.
“Florida has paid a huge price.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 2:34 PM.
