People affected by the fire at The Station gather at the site every month on the anniversary, but last night's six-month memorial is by far the largest.

10:24 AM EDT on Thursday, August 21, 2003

BY MARK ARSENAULT and KAREN LEE ZINER
Journal Staff Writers

WEST WARWICK -- Live music returned last night to the site of The Station nightclub, six months to the day after the club's final concert ended in a fire that killed 100 people.

Jesika Toracinta and David Bogosian, musicians who have worked together for several years, performed "Going Home," a song Bogosian, of Cranston, wrote about the fire. Their audience of several hundred people included fire survivors and the families of those who died.

With lyrics that recount what happened the night of Feb. 20 -- when pyrotechnics used by the band Great White ignited flammable packing foam installed in the club as soundproofing -- the performance was one measure of how far the state has come since the deadliest fire in its history. Would a song that touches on smoke and chaos inside a burning nightclub have received a warm ovation six months ago?

Journal photo / Bill Murphy Nancy Crisostomi, mother of fire victim Alfred Crisostomi, and fiance Ed Bailey attend a service last nigth at the Kent County Y. It was six months since the fire.

"The first time I came [to the site] was difficult," said Ashley Poland, a fire survivor who lost her boyfriend, Everett "Tommy" Woodmansee, in the fire. "Now it's becoming easier. It's a place to come to talk to Tommy."

But last night's ceremony also showed that people heal at their own pace.

Steven W. Ayer kneeled on the ground at The Station site and beat his hands in the dust at the cross that carries the name of his daughter, Tina, who perished in the fire.

"You know what," he said, "if only God could strike me now, take my life and give it to her. He can take me any time."

Raymond Mattera, who lost daughter Tammy Mattera-Housa in the fire, said his family's pain has gotten worse in six months, as Tammy's children have experienced birthdays without their mother.

"Pretty soon it will be Halloween," said Mattera, "and I'll be remembering taking my girls out door-to-door. This doesn't get any easier; it's getting harder."

People affected by the fire have gathered at the site every month on the 20th since the blaze, though last night's six-month memorial was by far the largest, according to several people who have attended them all.

The Rev. Susan Asselin called for 100 seconds of silence to mark the 100 people killed in the fire.

"May we discover through pain and torment the strength to live with grace and humor," she told the crowd. "May we discover through doubt and anguish the strength to live with dignity and holiness."

Journal photo / Kris Craig Hundreds of survivors, family members and friends gathered at the site yesterday evening for a nondenominational memorial service.

Members of The Station Fire Memorial Foundation circulated a petition last night to drum up support to eventually turn the site into a permanent memorial to the people who died there.

SIX MONTHS AGO, the fire claimed The Station with such ferocity that for hours, no amount of water could halt it.

But in the aftermath of 100 lives lost, the fire forged a community of mourners who have learned to lean on one another. Last night, as the hundreds joined at The Station site, nearly 200 more joined at an amphitheater in the woods behind the Kent County YMCA.

"We are together in this like we have never been together before," said the Rev. John Holt at the outdoor healing and remembrance service for the victims, survivors, families, police, fire, rescue and hospital personnel.

"We must be present to one another, so I encourage you this time, to hold on to one another, and don't let go," said Mr. Holt, executive director of the Rhode Island Council of Churches.

He also encouraged the family members and friends not to let those deaths paralyze them. "If any of them could speak to us right now," he said, "they would say to us, 'For God's sake, run with joy. Don't give up -- enjoy life. Love life.' "

Also listed on the program at the YMCA-sponsored service were the Warwick Fire Department Honor Guard, Tom Gleadow, arts and humanities director of the Kent County YMCA; Pastor Marie Carpenter, chaplain of the Kent County YMCA; the YMCA's Active Older Adults Singing Club; Susan Rittscher, CEO, YMCA of Greater Providence; state Rep. Peter Ginaitt, a Warwick firefighter who directed triage efforts at The Station fire; the Rev. Deacon Robin Higbie, chaplain of Kent County Hospital; the Rev. Donald Anderson, chaplain of the East Greenwich Police Department; the Rev. Bruce Greer, chaplain of the Warwick Fire Department; the Rev. Paul Lemoi, chaplain of the West Warwick Fire and Police Departments, and the Rev. David Ricard, chaplain, Kent County Memorial Hospital; and the West Warwick High School Jazz Band.

Journal photo / Bill Murphy Mark Johnson, of Cranston, lights a candle at one of the 100 crosses erected at the site. Johnson bought a candle for each of the crosses.

Sarah Mancini wore a red and white T-shirt with the number 13 on it and "Mancini" in white letters on the front. It belonged to her son, Keith, a guitarist for Fathead, the warm-up group for Great White.

"We didn't find him for, let's see, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. But I knew that night. I knew. . . .

"But you know, if I can put it in a positive light, they were so excited to be opening for Great White that night. They thought it might be a break for them. So I guess, if you have to go, I can't think of a better way to go than doing something you like."

She has tried to explain to her grandchildren, who are ordinarily afraid of thunder and lightning, "that when it thunders, it's his bass guitar."

There were prayers for the police and firefighters, town workers and rescue and hospital personnel involved that night and in the weeks and months beyond the fire. As the names of all 100 victims were read alphabetically, many people sobbed.

Afterward, Lillian Carbone sat with her husband, Pasquale, on one of the red wooden benches, preparing for the two-hour ride home to Stoughton, Mass. Her daughter, Kristine Marie Carbone, was 38 years old when she died in the blaze with a best friend, Christina DiRienzo.

"We go day by day," said Mrs. Carbone. "Some days are good, some days are bad. I'm not angry with God. I'm angry at the way she had to die -- she was afraid of fire and crowded places . . .."

Then Lillian Carbone reached into her purse. "Would you like to see her picture?" she said, and produced a wallet photo of a dark-haired girl in a raspberry sweater. Kristine's arms were folded demurely, and she was smiling.

DIGITAL EXTRA: Browse a memorial to victims of The Station fire, post condolences, view photos and explanatory graphics, recap news coverage and more at:

http://projo.com/extra/2003/stationfire/