Randy McAllister of Columbia spray paints the gazebo behind the public library this afternoon. The gazebo is kept up by the local Compassionate Friends organization, which is a support group for people who have lost loved ones, especially parents who have had children pass away. McAllister and his wife Dottie founded the local chapter 10 years ago after their 17-year-old son Chris died of a seizure. Compassionate Friends is a worldwide organization, and the local chapter meets the third Wednesday of the month at the Columbia-Marion County Public Library at 8 p.m. Leading up to the gazebo there is a “Memory Walk” with bricks engraved with names of loved ones who have died.