City To Commemorate 9/11’s Anniversary
By Arthur Gonick
Saratoga TODAY
SARATOGA SPRINGS - Mayor Joanne Yepsen and the Mayor’s 9/11 Memorial Committee is inviting the public to join them for a City Wide Ceremony and Remembrance on the anniversary of the Tragedy which befell our nation.
This ceremony will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, September 11 at the Tempered by Memory sculpture in High Rock Park. The ceremony is expected to last approximately one hour. A schedule and event program appears on Page 9.
“While 13 years have passed, few who were alive in the United States on 9/11/2001 will ever forget where they were or what they were doing.” Mayor Yepsen said. “It is best that we not forget, both personally and for the sake of our country as we share those thoughts and feelings with those who were just children. Please join me and other citizens of Saratoga Springs as we remember the lives of the men, women and children who were killed. And may we “Never Forget” or allow those around us to forget.”
A significant event on the program will occur on 8:46 a.m. when churches and other structures city wide are requested to ring their bells for one minute – to coincide with the timing of the first airplane impact on the North Tower of NYC’s World Trade Center thirteen years ago.
Schedule of Events:
Saratoga Springs 9/11 Ceremony and Remembrance
High Rock Park
8:15 - 8:40 a.m. Bag Piper – Peter Lounsberry
8:40 a.m. Color guard- Div. of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA) under the direction of New York State's Adjutant General, Major General Patrick Murphy.
8:46 a.m. Ringing of Bells City Wide
8:47 a.m. Welcome – Dottie Pepper
National Anthem – Choraliers- Saratoga Springs High School
Pledge – Ken Klotz
Invocation – Rev. Coqui Conkey
Mayor Joanne Yepsen Remarks and Introduction
Matt Tully – Keynote Speech
Wreath Presentation
God Bless America – Choraliers – Saratoga Springs High School
Benediction – Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein
Approximately 9:15-9:30 a.m. Taps – Erne Bellinger of Wilton