On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, as well as overtook other planes which struck the Pentagon and crash-landed in Pennsylvania.
Due to these terrorist attacks, 2,977 were killed, and the country was never the same. Americans could see changes in airports, the media, surveillance measures and daily conversations amongst friends and family.
In a nation known for divisive politics and its values of personal freedom and opinion, the 9/11 tragedy largely brought the country together to honor the thousands of lives lost.
Twenty-five years later, communities across central Ohio will hold commemorations to honor
the memory of the civilians and first responders who fell victim to the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board will again commemorate 9/11 with a memorial flag display on the west lawn of the Ohio Statehouse. When viewed from above, the 2,977 flags map out the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, along with the Pennsylvania field where a fourth terrorist plane crashed.
A flag-planting and memorial program will take place on Sept. 9, starting at 5:15 p.m. on the West Plaza of the Statehouse. In the event of rain, the program will be held in the Atrium, and the flags will be placed by staff at a later time.
The memorial flag display will be open to the public from 7 p.m. Sept. 10 to 5 p.m. Sept. 13.
Right by the Statehouse, Trinity Episcopal Church will host a 45-minute ecumenical prayer service that features choristers, the ringing of chimes and reflections from Rev. Jed Dearing and Rev. Vicki Zust on Sept. 11 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
At the National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM), a brief ceremony at 8:45 a.m. Sept. 11 will include a welcome and opening remarks by speakers to be announced, along with the singing of "America, The Beautiful" and a moment of silence.
The NVMM has partnered once more with 9/11 Day for a National Day of Service project. Some 300 volunteers will pack 124,000 meals to be distributed by Mid-Ohio Food Collective to families facing food insecurity in central Ohio.
Ohio Stadium will be lit up early in the morning on Sept. 11. The Ohio State University ROTC's annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will begin at 6:45 a.m. The event brings the community together to remember the first responders who lost their lives in 2001. Registration is open for those who want to participate at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
Read on for more 9/11 remembrance events taking place in Columbus and surrounding communities.
Central Ohio 9/11 commemorations planned
Delaware
Ohio Wesleyan University is hosting a free pregame tailgate at noon ahead of the OWU football game Sept. 12 at 1 p.m., which will also be free admission, during the Bishop Backers Fall Community Day celebration at Selby Stadium, located at 45 S. Henry St. in Delaware.
Before the tailgate, the university's Phi Delta Theta fraternity will host a fundraising Steps for Service stair climb from 9 to 11 a.m. at the stadium in memory of the New York firefighters who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a press release.
Those who sign up for Steps for Service can climb 2,200 steps representing the 110 stories firefighters had to navigate to reach survivors in the Twin Towers. Those who would like to participate but not climb stairs can walk the Selby track.
Steps for Service will benefit the fraternity’s annual charity, the Live Like Lou Foundation, which supports families affected by ALS, as well as the Bryan Williams Legacy Scholarship, created in memory of the Delaware and Marion County firefighter to provide scholarships to eligible individuals planning careers in public service.
Dublin
All year round at Station 93, 5825 Brand Road, a steel beam from the Twin Towers is on display, which was obtained within a year or two after 9/11, Adam Smith, assistant fire chief, said. Tentatively, a short remembrance event will occur at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11at Station 93 with a bell ceremony and speakers.
There will be a formal flag lowering to half-staff. Check out the fire department's Facebook page for further updates.
Grandview Heights
Join other community members at Grandview Heights City Hall, 1525 Goodale Blvd., at 8 a.m. Sept. 11 for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, a tribute to the 343 firefighters who died at the World Trade Center.
Participants can climb the equivalent of 110 stories – the height of the fallen towers – on the path at Wyman Woods or the Grandview Avenue Hill.
Each climber will get a badge with the name and photo of a late firefighter to symbolically complete the climb with them. At the 78th-floor mark, climbers ring the fire bell in honor of their firefighter.
Participation is free, but registration is required at grandviewheights.recdesk.com.
Granville
Granville High School theater students and alumni will present excerpts from the play "110 Stories" at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 in the GHS Theatre, 248 New Burg St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the free performance. Written by Sarah Tuft, "110 Stories" will take the audience on a journey through the events of 9/11 as told by everyday people who were there: survivors, eyewitnesses and recovery workers. Interviews by Tuft include a mother, a photojournalist, an ironworker, a nurse and a homeless man who helped save lives that day.
For more details, contact Sara Wiper Rodocker at srodocker@granvilleschools.org.
Groveport
The Madison Township Fire Department's remembrance ceremony is planned for 8 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Motts Military Museum, 5075 S. Hamilton Road. The ceremony will feature guest speakers who served at Ground Zero, sharing firsthand accounts of the response to the attacks and the rescue and recovery efforts that followed, according to a press release.
The event will also include a presentation of colors, singing of the national anthem, recognition of all responders and a closing tribute.
Hilliard
Honor the first responders who gave their lives and all who were impacted by the events 25 years ago at a remembrance ceremony in First Responders Park at noon Sept. 11. Located at the corner of Main and Center streets, the park is a major 9/11 memorial with original Ground Zero artifacts and three granite walls bearing the names of the victims.
Upper Arlington
Hosted by Local 1521 and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the Central Ohio 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will take place on Sept. 13 in Marv Moorehead Memorial Stadium at Upper Arlington High School, 1625 Zollinger Road.
On-site registration will be at 8 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. opening ceremony and the climb from 9:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Online registration will end at 12 a.m. Sept. 11 at nfff.akaraisin.com/ui/centralohio26.
Worthington
As they have for several years, volunteers will place 2,977 small U.S. flags on the Village Green as part of Worthington's Patriot Day ceremony at noon Sept. 11.
Free and open to the community, Patriot Day is presented in partnership with Leasure-Blackston American Legion Post 239.
Westerville
Westerville will mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 at First Responders Parks, located at 374 W. Main St., at noon.
A ceremony will take place, featuring the ceremonial firefighter's bell, as well as honor guard and Westerville Community Bands wind ensemble performances, according to Hillary Bates, community affairs director.
Tom Ullom of the Westerville Firefighters Memorial Fund, who helped bring the Twin Towers steel which is now enshrined in the park, will deliver the keynote before a moment of silence and closing taps – a bugle call played to honor fallen service members.
Continuing to remember
Remembrance Ruck
While Sept. 11 is a day to remember and reflect, the NVMM devotes the day after to honoring the years of service and sacrifice that followed the terrorist attacks.
Recognizing those who served during the Global War on Terrorism, the Remembrance Ruck will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 on the museum’s rooftop sanctuary. Participants will walk along the Scioto Trail before ending in the Memorial Grove. Rucksacks are optional and participation is free.
If there's a 9/11-related event that needs to be on our list, reach out and let us know by emailing Columbus Dispatch reporters Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com or Nora Igelnik at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio events planned to honor 25th anniversary of 9/11
