HERKIMER, N.Y. (WKTV) - To mark the one week anniversary of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy, Cangee's Bar in Herkimer lit 26 lanterns Friday night. Each lantern represented a life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"Well I stopped and was talking to the owner Cangee and my friend Tyler McLaughlin and they wanted to do a balloon launch or something to commemorate the kids and the sadness everyone's going through and I said I might be able to do one thing better," said Jeff Alford.

Jeff Alford had bought an order of lanterns to give as Christmas presents to his grandkids. Come to find out, he'd bought the perfect amount.

"When I counted them it's kind of like I got chills, you know the hair stood up on my arms and I got chills and the whole thing," said Alford.

With the help of others Alford lit the 26 lanterns at Cangee's Bar in Herkimer, each lantern representing a life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

"It affects all of us it affects the people down there in Connecticut more than it does us, but everyone's affected by this," said Alford.

While not all the lanterns got up due to the weather the night still brought everyone together to remember the victims. The names of the victims were all read to music outside the bar.

"We can't really do anything for them," said Alford. "We can't make their Christmas's better, there's nothing we can do for them, but if we can bring a little bit more peace a little more understanding that's all I want to do."