West Mayor Moved to Tears by Emotional Song

During a live on-air performance, West Mayor Tommy Muska became emotional after hearing the song "Still Around West" performed live for the first time.

The song, penned by Jenipher Janek and performed by Donna Beckham, both resident's of West, moved Muska to tears.

"That's the first time I've heard it. It's a wonderful song. It told you just how everybody feels," Muska said. "It's very well done. I'm very pleased with it. It's another show of how strong these people are."

Janek wrote the song about the disaster just two days after the April 17, 2013, explosion that killed 15 people in the small town, including 12 first responders. 

The blast also destroyed Janek's home. For the next seven months, Janek lived in a mobile home while her home was rebuilt.

To read the lyrics to the song, see the tweet below from NBC 5 reporter Jeff Smith.

Throughout the day NBC 5 plans to offer several livestreams of anniversary coverage from West. At 2 p.m., a news conference will be streamed live on this page. At 7:15 p.m., a memorial service, including a moment of silence at 7:51 p.m., will be streamed. Check back and refresh this page for the latest โ€” or visit our special section on the explosion in West found here.

NBC 5's Jeff Smith contributed to this report.

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