Celebration of Life for Liam Armstrong

Doing something positive was what the friends and family of Liam Armstrong thought was the best thing to do to honor a young man who lost his life too soon.

On Friday a cookout will be held to celebrate Liam’s life as well as raise funds to create a garden in the courtyard at Smitthown East where Liam was a student. The Nesconset teen was hit and killed by a New York City train on March 26. Two $500 scholarships will also be established for East and West High School students.

“Let’s find something positive to do. We thought that was a good thing to do,” said Christine Fitzgerald of the Smithtown Children's Foundation, which is helping to organize the event.

What started out as a bench for the commons area turned into a labor of love, which will create a garden in Liam’s honor, "worthy of Liam's big personality", according to the group's Facebook page.

The event will start with an unveiling of the bench and will then be followed by a barbecue with burgers, dogs, soft drinks, snacks and face painting for the little ones.

Students and athletes from the school lacrosse teams will be there as well as the student leadership club. 

The event starts at 5 p.m. at Smithtown East commons area. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Organizers say bring some chairs and blankets to hang out for awhile.