At the Buchanan Farms produce market on Broadway Road in Sanford, mourners add to a growing memorial of flowers and candles.
Four cowboy hats represent each member of the Buchanan family killed in a small plane crash Monday: Travis and Candace, 35, along with Aubrey, 10, and Walker, 9.
“It’s a major loss. They had a big impact,” said Nikki Haymans, who brought her young daughter to pay respects. “For my daughter’s sake. She lost two friends whom she used to see pretty much every day and play with. It’s important to her to feel that, give something back to them and write a letter.”
Tributes to the Buchanans continued to grow elsewhere on Saturday. The Sanford Farmers’ Market set up a memorial for the family where people placed cards and wrote messages of support.
Organizers note the Buchanans were a weekly presence at the market. An obituary for the family says Travis Buchanan founded Buchanan Farms, where he raised tobacco and many other crops, along with operating the produce market.
“Even if we weren’t showing here, I’d come down, absolutely, and do the little bit I can do,” said Sanford Farmer’s Market vendor Alexandra Reid.
An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane reported engine and communication issues before crashing a mile from the Raleigh Executive Jetport in Sanford while on a return trip from Florida.
Records from the Federal Aviation Administration list Travis Buchanan as the owner of the plane.
Many in Sanford call Buchanan Farms a common meeting spot for many.
“Everybody liked to gather here for many different holidays, events and festivals. It brought families together,” said Haymans.
For the first time since the crash, the community gathered at the farm’s produce market on Saturday, this time in collective grief to honor the Buchanans’ family legacy.
Funeral services for the family are set for Monday.
According to an online obituary, there will be a procession from Bridges-Cameron Funeral Home to Shallow Well Church on Broadway Road in Sanford.
