Tennessee athletics announced that it will honor the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a special lighting tribute at Neyland Stadium.
The stadium will shine two beams of light into the night sky from 6 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 11 using Ayrton Eagle Strike lighting fixtures.
UT said in a school release that Michael T. Strickland, the chairman and founder of Bandit Lites, introduced the concept "to highlight the resilience of the United States and to honor the memory of those lost 25 years ago."
Other events were planned across Knoxville to commemorate the occasion. At Neyland Stadium, members of the University of Tennessee and Knoxville ROTC programs participated in a stair climb early in the morning to pay tribute to first responders who
lost their lives in the attacks.
Mayor Indya Kincannon and other city leaders led a ceremony at the Delaney Plaza along Stadium Way, including a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. as bells tolled to mark the time hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. That was followed by The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Knoxville 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, with first responders climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.
Starting at 7 p.m., World's Fair Park will host Tributes & Tunes: A Benefit Concert for First Responders, featuring live music, memorial tributes and shared community experiences. Proceeds from the evening will benefit organizations supporting firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel and first responder families across East Tennessee.
Attendees looking south will be able to see the beams of light shining from Neyland Stadium.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Neyland Stadium to have special lighting tribute honoring 25th anniversary of 9/11
