Events across LI mark 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks
American flags are placed on the south pool of the National September 11 Memorial, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in New York. Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Credit: AP / Mary Altaffer
Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks, and Americans and many on Long Island will commemorate the somber occasion with moments of silence and memorials.
At Ground Zero in Manhattan, family members of victims of 2001 attack and the 1993 World Trade Center bombings will read aloud the names of their lost loved ones.
Hillary Clinton plans to arrive at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza at the World Trade Center site before the annual moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., marking the moment the first plane struck the north tower.
The ceremony will also pause to mark the time the second plane hit the south tower, the moment each tower collapsed, and the attacks on the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
A Trump campaign source told NBC News on Saturday the Republican presidential nominee planned to appear in lower Manhattan.
Close to 500 Long Islanders were among the nearly 3,000 people who perished in all of the attacks.
A slew of events are planned across Long Island.
At sunrise, the Town of Hempstead will hold its annual memorial ceremony at Point Lookout. North Hempstead Town will hold its memorial service at Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road in Manhasset at 8 a.m.
In Islip, first responders from local volunteer departments will lead a parade down Main Street to remember the more than 80 local residents who died in the terrorist attacks. The parade ends at the town’s Sept. 11 memorial. In Elmont, the Elmont Memorial Library will unveil a memorial featuring a steel beam from the trade center. The ceremony also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the current facility.
At 6:30 p.m., elected officials, clergy and Nassau residents will gather dockside at a Freeport marina on the Nautical Mile for a ceremony before boarding the Miss Freeport V for a memorial cruise.
The ceremony will include a 21-gun salute facing the direction of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero.
Other Long Island events include a worship service at Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church, a ceremony at the Village of Lynbrook’s Sept. 11 memorial park at Village Hall, and a memorial candle-lighting ceremony at Seaford High School.
On a little less somber note, Temple Sinai in Roslyn will be open to the community, offering activities such as pony rides, face painting and carnival games. Children will be able to decorate cookies and make cards and banners that will be given to local firefighters and police officers.
With AP
Sept. 11 memorials, vigils and events
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum ceremony for family members of victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center, 180 Greenwich St., Manhattan, 8:46 a.m.
- Town of Hempstead will hold its annual sunrise ceremony at Point Lookout, 7:30 a.m.
- North Hempstead 15th annual memorial service, Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road in Manhasset, across the street from Town Hall, 8 a.m.
- Town of Islip memorial ceremony and parade, Veterans Memorial Park, 655 Main St., 9 a.m.
- Village of Lynbrook’s Sept. 11 memorial ceremony at the village’s Sept. 11 memorial Park at Village Hall, 1 Columbus Dr., 6 p.m.
- Guided meditation and walk for peace on grass near Sept. 11 memorial at Heckscher Park in Huntington, or at Dipamkara Meditation Center on New York Avenue in case of rain, 8:30 a.m.
- Free admission to the Francis X. Pendl Nassau County Firefighters Museum’s new 9/11 exhibit in Garden City
- Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church 9/11 worship service, 1845 Wantagh Ave., 10:30 a.m.
- Farmingdale United Methodist Church 9/11 observance, 407 Main St., 9:30 a.m.
- Seaford High School memorial candle-lighting ceremony, 1575 Seamans Neck Rd., 7 p.m.
- Elmont Memorial Public Library Sept. 11 tribute and memorial unveiling, 700 Hempstead Tpke., 11 a.m.
- Temple Sinai, 425 Roslyn Rd., Roslyn Heights, will be open to the community, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities include face painting and pony rides. Children will be able make cards and decorate cookies for local firefighters and police.
- The Sons of Italy in America — Vigiano Brothers Lodge # 3436 seventh annual 9/11 Tribute — A Candlelight Remembrance, Harborfront Park at Port Jefferson Village Harbor, 101A E. Broadway (behind Village Center), 6 p.m. The event is in memory of New York City firefighter John Vigiano Jr. and NYPD Det. Joseph Vigiano, two brothers who died rescuing others on Sept. 11.
- Memorial service dockside at Party Boat Central, 85 Woodcleft Ave., Freeport, on the Nautical Mile. Service starts at 6:30 p.m. A memorial cruise aboard the Miss Freeport V starts at 7 p.m., first-come, first-served for up to 150 guests.
- Check local firehouses, schools and libraries for further memorial observances.
