It is apparent that the late Charlie Kirk had made an impact on many people in the local area.

A hastily planned prayer vigil in his honor held Saturday afternoon in Lehighton attracted an estimated 300 people.

The event, held at the Lehighton D&L Trailhead on Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard, was put together by state Rep. Doyle Heffley.

Heffley said numerous constituents had contacted him and requested that such an event be held for Kirk.

Kirk, who was a conservative activist, media personality, author and organizer, was most known for his podcasts and videos. The founder of the organization Turning Point was killed by an assassin’s bullet at the age of 31 on Sept. 10 while on a college campus in Orem, Utah.

Heffley said he was impressed by the turnout of people. He said when he agreed to host the event, “we had a ton of volunteers. People donated a sound system, podium, chairs. People wanted to honor him for what he did for the nation and what he stood for.”

He said, “The gathering is a time of reflection, peace and fellowship — values that Charlie deeply believed in and worked to uphold.”

The vigil was attended by all age groups. The backdrop to the event was a caboose draped in red, white and blue bunting.

At one point, a group of about 15 motorcyclists rode onto the site. Many of those attending wore shirts honoring Kirk. Heffley and many others wore T-shirts with “FREEDOM” emblazoned across the front and an American flag outline on the sleeve. A lot of people wore red, white and blue; many shirts bore patriotic messages.

Unlike some events in other regions, there were no protestors at the event.

“I really didn’t know what to expect,” Heffley said. “I only know a lot of people called me and asked me to put it together.”

He said there were “hundreds and hundreds of shares on social media. That says a lot about who he was and what he accomplished in his 31 years.”

Also making remarks was state Sen. David Argall. He read two quotes praising Kirk and then said one was by former President George W. Bush and the other by California’s Governor Gavin Newsom. Argall said of the quotes, “I couldn’t tell which one was by a Republican and which one was by a Democrat, and dammit, that’s the way it should be.”

The main speaker was Nick Smith of Lehighton, a member of Patriots of the Constitution.

Smith, a Lehighton Area High School graduate, said, “Charlie Kirk had a major impact on my generation — not because he told us what to think, but because he reminded us that we could think for ourselves. In a time when society tries to silence disagreement and cancel open dialogue, Charlie stood up and said, ‘No — we must talk. We must question. We must debate.’ And more importantly, he lived it.”

He added, “For those of us who listened — really listened — we came away changed. Not indoctrinated, not manipulated - but awakened. He taught us to ask better questions, how to challenge the narrative, and how to see our country — America — not as a problem to fix, but as a gift to cherish and preserve.”

Smith described Kirk as a man “who loved his family fiercely, who held fast to his faith in Jesus Christ, and who never apologized for believing that America is a nation worth defending.”

“His message wasn’t just political,” Smith said. “It was deeply moral.”

Another speaker was Elizabeth Blose of Lehighton, who said, “I’m a Christian conservative to my core.”

She said she admired Kirk because, “He pointed people back to God’s world and encouraged them to think.”

She urged that people speak their political convictions, stating, “Don’t waver from what you believe in and don’t back down.”

Blose praised Kirk’s wife for the way she stood by him and will be carrying on his work.

“Be more like Charlie,” she said. “Let the Holy Spirit work through you.”

The Rev. Jacob Bailey of Bethany Wesleyan Church in Palmerton gave the invocation and benediction. He read from Romans 12 which he said states, “Do not repay anyone evil with evil.”

“Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” he said.

Angela Nardini sang the National Anthem, “Amazing Grace” and “God Bless America” with the audience singing along for all three numbers.

Two of the teenagers in the audience were Alannah Ritchie, age 13, and Corin Lawrence, age 12, both seventh grade Lehighton Middle School students.

Ritchie said she watched a lot of podcasts and events by Kirk. Of the prayer vigil, she said, “I thought it was very nice to see everybody come together and pray for him.”

Lawrence agreed.

Her father, Chad Lawrence, said he also watched videos and podcasts of Kirk.

He termed the prayer vigil “lovely.”

Also in attendance was Carbon County Commissioner Michael Sofranko.

Heffley concluded that we should learn to “live like Charlie.”

He said, “We need to remain civil, even in debates.”

Members of the Lehighton Police Department were present and monitored the event.