Thousands of supporters came together to honor Charlie Kirk Tuesday night as Turning Point USA's college tour returned to Utah for the first time since its founder was assassinated on a college campus in the state earlier this month.

The event at Utah State University in Logan was about two hours north of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed Sept. 10 by a gunman who fired a single shot through the crowd while Kirk was answering student questions.

Conservative podcast host Alex Clark kicked off the event, which she described as the group’s largest on-campus tour stop.

“I’m not here to eulogize Charlie Kirk," she said, but "to pass the torch on to every single one of you."

Hours before the event, the campus in Logan temporarily evacuated a building but later deemed it safe after a “non-explosive” device was found.

Authorities are investigating but the university does not believe the package was a threat or related to the Turning Point event, school spokesperson Amanda DeRito told The Associated Press.

Security at the event was tight, with a heavy law enforcement presence surrounding the arena, a no-bag policy, metal detectors and drones overhead.

Campus police at the college where Kirk was killed didn’t fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the outdoor event, which lacked several key safety measures and practices that have become standard in the U.S., an AP review has found.

The assassination of a top ally of President Donald Trump and a significant figure in his Make America Great Again movement has galvanized conservatives, who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of encouraging young voters to embrace conservatism and moving American politics further right.

Kirk has been celebrated as a “martyr” by many on the right, and Turning Point USA has seen tens of thousands of requests to create new chapters in high schools and colleges.

Tuesday’s event, scheduled before Kirk’s death, showcased how Turning Point has been pressing forward without its charismatic leader, who headlined many of its events and drew crowds.

The national tour includes some of the biggest conservative names, including Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Glenn Beck.

The event featured a panel with three prominent Republicans, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who urged students to turn their anger into action.

Chaffetz spoke of his emotions following Kirk's assassination.

"It's tough. It's really tough," he said. "The tragedy is still very raw."

Cox spoke about Kirk's dialogues with people who disagreed with him.

"Charlie wanted to go in, and he wanted to engage. And people that he talked to, people who were very different than him, people who disagreed with him, he treated them with love, and he treated them with dignity."

Kirk was a provocateur who at times engaged in language that was racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic.

Criticism of Kirk has drawn backlash from conservatives who say a few select moments have been cherry-picked to insult the legacy of an inspirational conservative leader.