Thanks for effort to save the past lost in the fire

To the editor:

I would like to express my extreme gratitude to the brave individuals of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson fire departments for their hard work in trying to save both Holiday Happenings and Independence Place early Sunday morning.

The loss of this building affects this community in ways most will never know or understand. To many, pieces of ourselves burned with Independence Place that night, pieces of our past that are now more treasured than they were just 12 hours earlier. Even though the building may be a loss, I'm grateful that no one was hurt or lost.

Thank you again to the brave men and women of Cape Girardeau and Jackson who fought to keep our past alive.

LAURA E. TURNER

Cape Girardeau