» Communities planning 9/11 ceremonies, events,
Communities and organizations across the Miami Valley are planning to gather on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack and honor those who died.
In one event, firefighters and community members will go to UD Arena for the Premier Health Gem City 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. Participants will honor members of the New York City Fire Department who sacrificed their lives by going into the Twin Towers to rescue others.
“The climb is symbolic — we complete the climb they couldn’t,” said Miami Twp. Fire-Rescue Chief and event organizer Colin Altman.
He said the participants will try to climb 110 floors, or 2,200 steps, and raise money for the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation.
Altman said events like the stair climb, now in its seventh year but the first at UD Arena, remind people of the feelings in the hours and days following the tragedy.
“With events like this, we can honor and remember the guys killed, the police and firefighters, civilians and the people who are still dying from the aftermath,” he said, noting that New York firefighters and police are still dying due to 9/11-related illness.
Also, residents don’t have to wait until Sept. 11 to honor the anniversary. A tribute to the lives lost is taking place now at the Woodbourne Library where quilts commemorating the events are hung throughout.
The majority of the quilts were created by Helen Willis, who said she has been working on the project for a couple of years. She started making them so she could see the pictures and honor the victims throughout the year instead of just around the anniversary.
She said the terrorist attacks made a lasting impact on her, and she’s visited memorial sites throughout the country including Ground Zero. The display at the local library is important to her.
“It brings back some of those feelings that we had on that day, and it brings
back the hope that we had when it was over because it was a terrible attack on our country,” Willis said.
Below are some events taking place throughout the Dayton area.
Patriot Salute at Dayton VA
The first Patriot Salute will be held Sept. 11-12 on the campus of the Dayton VA Medical Center and hosted by the American Veterans Heritage Center.
The events will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 11 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 12 at 4100 W. 3rd St. in Dayton.
It will commemorate the Sept. 11 anniversary with a memorial service Saturday evening. It will also recognize those essential VA employees who risked their health and sacrificed their time to get through the pandemic emergency to care for veterans and continue to do so. There will be live entertainment, a car show and cruise-in, a cornhole tournament, food trucks and vendors.
Miami County/Troy
The Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit will be parked in front of the Miami County Courthouse on West Main Street in downtown Troy. The exhibit is an 83-foot tractor-trailer, which transforms into a 1,100-square-foot exhibit
designed to further educate about the events of Sept. 11. The exhibit is accompanied by first responders who lived through that day.
It will be open 1-9 p.m. Sept. 10; 1-9 p.m. Sept. 11; and 1-7 p.m. Sept. 12 with a special memorial service planned for 7 p.m. Saturday.
At the Miami County Fairgrounds, a Home Grown Heroes Event will take place from Sept. 10-12. A Veterans Resource Fair will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and kid’s activities will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ MiamiCountyFair
And at the Veterans Museum, there will be a Troops in Town Then & Now event. Admission to the veteran’s museum is free and more information about the event can be found at miamivalleyvetransmuseum.org.
AmVets Post 24
The Amvets Post 24 will hold a memorial service to honor first responders, victims and families. The event is at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at 1016 Leo St. More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.
Beavercreek memorial
A ceremony will be held in Beavercreek at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11at the city’s 9/11
Memorial at Beavercreek Station, 1153 N. Fairfield Road. It will include performances by Beavercreek High School’s choir and guest speakers.
The centerpiece of the city’s 9/11 Memorial is a twisted piece of steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center that weighs more than two tons and stands nearly 25 feet tall.
Fairborn Memorial
The city will conduct its 20th annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11 on the front lawn of Calamityville, the National Center for Medical Readiness, 506 W. Xenia Drive. The public is welcome and parking is available at the site and at the lot across the street.
The ceremony includes the presentation of colors by the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Honor Guard, followed by an invocation by American Legion Chaplain Kevin Knepp and comments by Fairborn Mayor Paul Keller.
Paul Newman Sr. will lead the singing of both the National Anthem and God Bless America. The American Legion Post 526 will give a 21-gun salute and Taps. Retired Montgomery County Sheriff ’s Office Sgt. Del Braund will conclude the event playing “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.
Huber Heights
The community is invited to the Marigold Festival on Sept. 11 where a 9/11 memorial will take place at 11 a.m.
Kettering
The city will host a 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11. It will be held at the corner of Ackerman Boulevard and Lincoln Park Boulevard at Seitz Plaza in Lincoln Park Civic Commons.
Premier Health Gem City 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb
The climb honors those killed in the attacks and supports the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The event begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 11 at UD Arena. More information can be found on the Premier Health Gem City 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Facebook page.
Urbana
The Alicia Titus Memorial Peace Run 5K Walk/Run for Peace takes place Sept. 11 at 9:03 a.m. (after a moment of silence). Alicia Titus was a flight attendant from Champaign County who was killed in the attacks.
It will be at Freedom Grove, 1512 U.S. 68 in Urbana. More information can be found at www.cantstoprunningco.com
Then on Sept. 12 at 3 p.m., the “Commemorating 20 Years of Peacebuilding after 9/11” event will begin at the Urbana Christian Conference Center, 1778 OH 29.
The keynote speech will be by author and former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.
Warren County
Multiple events are set to be held at 822 Memorial Drive. On Sept. 10 the community will gather beginning at 7:30 p.m. for a candlelight vigil. There will also be speakers, singers and poets who will share with those who attend.
At 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11, the community will again gather at the memorial for a silent remembrance.
DCOWA, WSU panel discussion
Dayton Council On World Affairs and Wright State University’s School of Public International Affairs present a panel reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. The meeting will be held on Zoom at 7 p.m. Sept. 16. To learn more, find DCOWA on Facebook.
Call to Duty Ride annual event
Buckeye Harley-Davidson hosts its annual ride Sept. 18, according to its Facebook event, at 7220 N. Dixie Dr. in Dayton. Registration starts at 10 a.m., kickstands up at noon and the police-escorted route will last about an hour and a half.
This year’s charity ride is in honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, the 30th year remembrance of fallen Dayton Police Officer Steve Whalen, and the second-year remembrance of fallen Dayton Detective Jorge DelRio.
Centerville/ Washington Twp.
Washington-Centerville Public Library, in conjunction with local quilterHelen Willis, is hosting a Remembering 9/11 quilt exhibit at Woodbourne Library through Sept. 23. A series of posters from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City complement the quilt. The exhibit is viewable during normal library operating hours. For more information on Washington-Centerville Public Library or the exhibit, visit www.wclibrary. info/events.