The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way in which people have been permitted to assemble for a host of services, ceremonies, activities and events. While some governments have decided to scale back their September 11th ceremonies in the face of the coronavirus, the Nassau County government, and the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, along with hamlets and villages, are moving ahead with programs to honor our fallen heroes.
(Photo by Frank Rizzo)
Carle Place
The Carle Place American Legion Post 1718 will hold a service on Friday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Carle Place Veterans Memorial Park. The park is located at the corner of Westbury Avenue and Carle Road. This is the 19th anniversary of the attack on our country. Organizers ask that attendees wear masks and practice social distancing.
East Williston
The Village of East Williston will be having its 9/11 Memorial ceremony at 7 p.m. at the village green on Friday, Sept. 11.
(Photo by Frank Rizzo)
Farmingdale
The Farmingdale Community Summit 9-11 Ceremony will be live-streamed this year. Visit www.farmingdalesummit.org/ to access the link closer to the date. Farmingdale Remembers is the summit’s annual observance commemorating the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The Farmingdale Community Summit Council presents the brief ceremony to honor and remember those who perished, to pay tribute to those who served so unselfishly in the recovery operation and show continued support for all those who were affected by the events of 9/11/01. The complications of the pandemic caused this year’s ceremony, scheduled for Sept. 11, to be a virtual one.
Floral Park
The Village of Floral Park will be having its 9/11 Memorial ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at the 9/11 Relic Memorial in front of village hall on Friday, Sept. 11.
Garden City
Chief Thomas Strysko and the officers and members of the Garden City Volunteer Fire Department invites village residents to join the department for its annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Village 9/11 Memorial located at the village green and gazebo at the corner of Hilton and Stewart avenues. The remembrance service will be held Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. Anyone that wishes to attend the ceremony must wear a face covering and maintain six feet distancing. For those that do not wish to attend, they can view the ceremony live on the Garden City Fire Department Facebook page.
Mineola
The Village of Mineola will be having its 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at 7 p.m. at Memorial Park on Friday, Sept. 11 with a shortened program and will have to limit attendees due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Nassau County
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced that Nassau County will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a Remembrance and Recitation of Names Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 10, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the 9/11 Memorial at Eisenhower Park. While all are invited to honor those lost in-person, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, residents are encouraged to attend this year’s ceremony virtually at www.Nassaucountyny.gov/September11, where you can watch live.
During the ceremony, access to the 9/11 Memorial will be prioritized for family members of the victims of the attacks, along with first responders who continue to make sacrifices to secure our freedom and safety.
“The passing of time will not dim the memory of that day or weaken the spirit of our residents and heroic first responders,” Curran said. “We will honor the bravery and heroism shown by our first responders and everyday people who stepped up during a time of crisis, while commemorating and reflecting on those we lost and continue to lose.”
The 9/11 Memorial features plaques inscribed with the names of the 348 Nassau County victims who lost their lives on that day, along with two semi-transparent aluminum towers, representing the World Trade Center towers and two pieces of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
(Photo by Joseph Wolkin)
Town of Hempstead
Hosted by Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and the town board, friends, neighbors, clergy, family members of victims and all of those impacted by the events of September 11th will gather in a socially distanced and safe manner for a sunrise ceremony that will salute the heroes of 9/11 with the seaside program.
The program will feature a speech by a family member of a late NYPD detective ,who died of a 9/11-related illness and was known for his advocacy for fellow heroes of September 11th.
Hempstead Town’s 9/11 Memorial Park includes ocean views, an elevated memorial walkway, a 30-foot-tall beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center and a giant memorial table inscribed with Walt Whitman’s “On the Beach at Night.” The names of victims are etched on the monument and a directional plaque points to the location of the once majestic Twin Towers.
The beachside 9/11 memorial plays a special role in the lives of many Long Island neighbors, who were drawn to the beachfront in the wake of the terrorist attacks, looking westward in disbelief to the location where the majestic twin towers once stood.
Town of Oyster Bay
The Town of Oyster Bay announced that a Remembrance Ceremony for the victims of the September 11, 2001 Attacks on America will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at TOBAY Beach. A 9/11 Light Tribute will illuminate the skies along the shoreline in memory of those lost that tragic September morning. At the ceremony, the town will unveil new names inscribed on to the Walls of Honor that recently lost their battle with 9/11-related illness caused by exposure at Ground Zero. The ceremony will includes bagpipe music and religious readings.
Supervisor Joseph Saladino stated, “To ensure the health and safety of attendees during this COVID pandemic, the ceremony will hosted in a drive-in fashion, but offered with a new light tribute to those we lost that tragic morning. Every name on the September 11th Memorial and Walls of Honor will be read aloud as we understand how important the reading of the names is for the families and loved ones. All residents are welcome to join us in paying tribute to those we have lost.”
The town’s 9/11 Memorial features a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center.
Westbury
The Westbury Fire Department will be holding a 9/11 service at its 9/11 Memorial at Hose Co. No. 2 headquarters on Old Country Road starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 12. The ceremony will be following COVID guidelines. Social distancing will be enforced and masks will be worn. All are invited to attend.
