NORWICH – This fall will mark ten years since the tragic car accident which took the lives of best friends and Norwich graduates Rachel Nargiso, Emily Collins and Katie Almeter, along with Troy native Kevin King. The four were killed on Nov. 11, 2000 when the drunk driver they were riding with lost control of his Jeep and struck a tree on the Colgate University campus in Hamilton.

As a poignant reminder of the unintended consequences of drinking and driving, a traveling exhibition, created in memory of these young people whose lives were cut short will be returning to Chenango County.

Titled, “Friends: One Day, One Wrong Turn,” the exhibit will be on display from May 1 to 28 at the Chenango County Council of the Arts, 27 West Main St. in Norwich. Its visit is sponsored by NBT Bank, Mang Insurance Agency and the Arts Council.

Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Evening hours on Thursdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. will be available by appointment only.

“It really touches home,” said Norwich resident Kathy Coates, who, with the help of her husband Ed, made arrangements for the Friends exhibit’s return to Norwich. It was last exhibited locally in 2007. Since that time, she said, a number of new items have been added to the collection, which chronicles the lives of Nargiso, Collins, Almeter and King through photographs, videos, artwork and “artifacts,” such as sports trophies, journals and clothing.

Students see these items and can relate to them, Coates said, which drives home the realities of drinking and driving. She and her husband timed the exhibit for May in the hopes that it will bring greater awareness to local students as they prepare for Prom and graduation.