The small town of Pineland has a population of just over 800 people. Due to this size, everybody knows everybody. Trust me, after growing up there, I can say that that is a true statement. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Especially when tragedy strikes. You can watch this little town come together for each other.

Back at the beginning of March, one of these times came about. A former football player for West Sabine, and a member of the class of 2014 - Gary Michael Sturrock - was killed in a car wreck. The townspeople of Pineland were rocked by this unexpected event, but that didn't stop them. The outpouring of love and support were awesome. People were making sure that the family had food, asking if there was any way that they could help out, and there were even bracelets sold in honor of Gary, as you can see below, to help out with medical expenses of one of his friends - ANOTHER way that the community has come together.

Bracelet
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And they're not done yet.

At 5:00 PM on the evening of May 31, 2018 - the night before West Sabine's graduation - they will hold a special ceremony at the football field. There will be a special green balloon release to honor Gary - "Dirty Thirty" - Sturrock. He proudly wore the number 30 every Friday night on that field, so what better way to honor him than to have the whole community make their way out to the field? (Yes, the balloons will be green, the color of West Sabine's rival, but green was his favorite color, so for one night and an event so special, green is alright.)

Everyone is invited to the event. Current students, former students, teammates, teachers, etc. Everyone can come to this to honor Gary. As someone that went to school with him, I think it's awesome, and I look forward to it. Again, it'll be held at 5:00 PM, the night of May 31st, at the football field behind the high school.

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