Butler Revival Event hopes to bring unity, healing to community
Residents of Butler County will have the opportunity to continue to heal and honor the life of former Buffalo Township fire chief Corey Comperatore this weekend.
A contingent of local residents, including Zachary Scherer, are holding a Butler Revival Event starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Bonniebrook Ristorante at 104 Serene Lane in Butler.
The free outdoor event will be centered around bringing the community back together in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at his July 13 campaign rally in Connoquenessing Township that left Comperatore dead and two others injured.
“From what it seems like, everyone is still really traumatized from what happened,” said Scherer. “We just wanted to try and bring people hope. We want it to bring people together and be family-oriented to just keep helping them heal after what happened.”
The event will feature singers, firsthand speakers, pastors and local political leaders, including state representatives Aaron Bernstine, R-8th, and Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th.
It will kick off with DJ Trivia from 1 to 3 p.m. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a variety of mostly local speakers. There also will be a basket raffle and an all-day 50/50 raffle.
All three families affected by the tragedy chose to have all the funds raised at the event donated to local organizations.
The Butler County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be there to provide mental health information and resources from 1 to 4 p.m.
Nearly 700 people responded to invite requests on the event’s Facebook page, according to Scherer, who said he expects a significant turnout in support of Comperatore’s family and all those who are still feeling the effects from the tragedy.
“I’m just really excited for this,” added Scherer. “This is a great way for the community to bond together. I just think people need to put party aside and realize that we’re all in this together.”
The event will come to a close with a performance from music artist Gary Burk III.
This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 16, 2024, to reflect that the Butler County Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will provide mental health information and resources at the event. Counseling services are not provided by the group.
