Family and friends to recognize teens' fatal accident

[February 15, 2014]  This weekend, friends and family plan to celebrate the lives of four teens killed six years ago. There will be a memorial service Sunday afternoon. The memorial has been held each year since the tragic crash to remember their loved ones and serve as a reminder to drive safely.

Those who lost their lives when the truck they were in hit a tree on Feb. 15, 2008, were Chris McGlasson, 19, of rural Middletown; Katherine "Katie" Carpentier, 15, of Lincoln; Katelyn "Katie" McCarty, 19, of Taylorville; and Ross Conrady, 18, of rural Elkhart. Two other passengers, Clark Schoonover and Zachary Rickord, survived. Four crosses now mark the site in the 200 block of 1300th Street in Logan County, known locally as Polecat Hill, along with a 12-foot white cross erected by the event coordinators.

The event has been primarily organized through a Facebook page, "Muddin' for Buds," at https://www.facebook.com/
#!/groups/462628820363/.

Organizers are encouraging attendance at the Lincoln FFA breakfast, beginning at 9 o'clock at Lincoln Community High School. The teens in the accident had numerous ties to agriculture, and the group wants to recognize this.

Those interested in taking part in the procession should meet at the Big R parking lot, 1250 Woodlawn Road, by 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The caravan will leave at 3 p.m. for the memorial service at the crash site at approximately 3:30 p.m.

For additional information, call 217-671-7959 or message the Facebook page.

In July 2010, Gov. Quinn signed Public Act 96-1002, legislation intended to curb excessive speeding. The law was named "Chris and Katie's Law" after McGlasson, Carpentier and McCarty.

In an effort to bring healing and leave a lasting impact, donations for the memorial fund will be taken at the event. The fund provided the large cross at the site and is providing for a unique memorial bench to be publicly placed in the community.

[Text from file received]