Tornado memorial in Tracy, Minn., will get a facelift

When a tornado struck Tracy on June 13, 1968, it changed the city forever. But a memorial constructed to remember the nine lives that were lost that day has fallen into disrepair. Bricks and concrete have fallen away. The names of several victims are missing or faded.

A group of Tracy residents has begun an effort to renovate and remodel the memorial that now stands along Hwy. 14.

The renovated memorial will include black granite, with etchings on all three sides. At the top of the monument, bronzed clock faces would be stopped at 7:04, just like a clock found in the debris of the Tracy school building destroyed by the tornado.

Tracy resident Sue Ann Moyars, a member of the fundraising committee, said organizers hope to have the new memorial in place for a 45th anniversary observance in June. The group has about $1,500 in the bank but needs more than $14,000, with at least half of it by March.

To help raise money for the tornado memorial, a donkey basketball fundraiser will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Center in Tracy.