Statue honoring Alayna is unveiled in Watkins

It’s been seven years. Seven long years since 5-year-old Alayna was snatched from her bed and from her family and her community. She will forever be 5 now, and a statue of the vivacious, gregarious little girl now stands amidst a garden in McCarthy Park in Watkins, just blocks from where she breathed her last. 

It’s a project nearly two years in the making, but Brodin Studios of Kimball created a life-sized statue of Alayna, at the request of the Watkins Lions. Delayed a few weeks as artists at Brodin Studios achieved just the right look, the statue was installed Saturday, and unveiled to a large and appreciative crowd Sunday, Sept. 10.

The community has always embraced and supported Alayna’s family, parents Matt and Kayla, and siblings Carter and Emri. And the statue is a permanent display of that love and support.

The granite base of Alayna’s statue reads: “Live, love and make memories. One day God will call you back. — Alayna Ertl. Oct. 31, 2010 – Aug. 20, 2016.”

Brodin Studios, Weststar Curb & Concrete, Little Falls Granite Works, and the Watkins Lions all helped to make this memorial a reality. Thank you!