9/11 ceremonies in Point Lookout, Islip Town

Long Island’s largest Sept. 11 memorial service will take place Wednesday for the 12th time at Hempstead Town Park at Point Lookout.

Pre-event activities begin at 4:30 a.m. and the service begins three hours later, Hempstead Town officials said. The park is at the intersection of Loop Parkway and Lido Boulevard in Point Lookout.

Hundreds of residents gathered at Point Lookout in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, in part because the Manhattan skyline is visible from the area, Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray said in a statement. Residents gathered and looked westward, where they could see smoke rising from the World Trade Center, she said.

“This is where we came to reflect during the saddest moment in our nation’s history,” Murray’s statement said.

The service will include an interactive program in which residents will be encouraged to write messages on a 35-foot replica of the World Trade Center. There will also be speakers and music.

Islip Town also will remember the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks with a ceremony Wednesday.

The event will be held at 5 p.m. at the town’s Sept. 11 memorial on the front lawn of Town Hall at 655 Main St.

SEE PHOTOSClassic images of the Twin Towers

The town’s officials will read aloud the names of the 90 victims who had ties to Islip. Representatives of local religious groups also will be present, along with members of the town’s fire departments.