TRACY — It was a tragic day in the history of a Lyon County community. On June 13, 1968, an F5 tornado struck the city of Tracy, leaving a path of destruction through town. Nine people were killed, and 125 were injured.

Although the memories of that day might be painful, the Tracy tornado is an event that shouldn’t be forgotten, said Tracy native Scott Thoma. “Never Forget” is the theme of special events being held Saturday, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the deadly tornado.

“I wanted it to be more of a memorial to those nine people,” Thoma said. The events will include a balloon release to honor the nine tornado victims, as well as several events that will raise funds for memorial scholarships in their names.

Thoma said the anniversary events were something he’d thought about organizing ever since Tracy held a memorial program on the 45th anniversary of the tornado. It’s important to remember the tornado, because of the impact it had on the close-knit Tracy community, he said. As a boy growing up in Tracy, Thoma witnessed the aftermath of the tornado firsthand.

“It affected me, and I kind of got this passion for remembering those people,” Thoma said. Thoma wrote a book, “Out of the Blue,” that tells the story of the tornado, and the people affected by it.

The public is invited to join in the “Never Forget” events on Saturday. Information about the events will be available Saturday morning at the Tracy Tornado Memorial on U.S. Highway 14. Thoma said events will mainly be held at Central Park, Tracy Lutheran Church, and the Caboose. A medallion hunt will start at 10 a.m. in the park. A community lunch will be held at Tracy Lutheran, as well as a bake sale and a raffle for a commemorative quilt made by Tracy native Cynthia (Holm) Sabinske. Both the Tracy Community Band and Roots of Oak will perform in the park.

At noon, a balloon release will be held, in honor of those killed in 1968, Thoma said.

At the Caboose, there will be more live music from Uncle Ron’s Accordion Band, and KSTP-TV meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas will give a presentation on storms at 1 p.m. There will also be a silent auction and another chance to enter the quilt raffle, starting at noon.

Thoma said more than 100 items will be up for bid in the silent auction, including tickets to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, a baseball bat autographed by Twins player Torii Hunter, and a surprise donation from songwriter and Tracy native Dennis Morgan.

“There’s been unbelievable cooperation,” from area businesses and donors, Thoma said.

Thoma said the goal for events like the silent auction is to raise enough money to create nine $500 scholarships, which will be awarded to 2019 Tracy Area High School seniors. He said there are also plans to give each scholarship recipient a short story, written by the tornado victims’ families, about the people the scholarships honor.

“I’m hoping that the kids look at each other’s (stories),” and learn more about these local community members, Thoma said.

Schedule of events

10 a.m. — Medallion hunt sign-ups in Central Park

10 a.m-1 p.m. — Event information available at Tracy Tornado Memorial on U.S. Highway 14

10:30 — Tracy Community Band performance at Central Park

11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Uncle Ron’s Accordion Band performs at the Caboose

11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Community lunch, bake sale and commemorative quilt raffle at Tracy Lutheran Church.

Noon — Balloon release in memory of the 1968 tornado victims

Noon-3 p.m. — Silent auction and commemorative quilt raffle at the Caboose

12:30 p.m. — Live music — Roots of Oak performs at Central Park

1 p.m. — Presentation by KSTP-TV meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas at the Caboose