HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS: Join Us in Remembering our Neighbors Lost on 9/11

BY GEORGE HOEHMANN, Supervisor, Town of Clarkstown

Every year since September 11, 2001, the Town of Clarkstown has held a remembrance ceremony at Town Hall. The ceremony gives us the opportunity to honor our friends, neighbors and loved ones who perished on September 11, 2001.  The more years that go by, the more important it is for us to come together to remember and honor their lives. The ceremony also gives us a chance to express our continued support to their families—to let them know we are still here, our community remembers, and our community cares.

The ceremony would not be such a beautiful tribute without the help of many Town departments and community groups. Clarkstown Police Chaplain Reverend Lothrop will emcee the program, the Clarkstown Police Honor Guard will present colors, the Nanuet High School Choir will sing a number of patriotic songs, Boy Scout Troop 96 will place the memorial candles, the West Nyack Fire Department will fly the American flag high above the monument from their ladder truck, the Rockland County Police Emerald Society will play the bagpipes, a Clarkstown North High School graduate, Bradley Winograd, will play TAPS, the New City Fire Department will provide a large ceremonial bell to ring as each name is read by Clarkstown Councilmembers, and the Florian Association of Rockland County will provide refreshments at the American Legion Post 1682.

What an amazing community we have that works together to coordinate this annual ceremony to remember those we lost 16 years ago.

This year is particularly meaningful to me as it is one year since we rededicated the 9/11 memorial in honor of the 15^thanniversary. Our brothers and sisters of Clarkstown, and Rockland County, who perished that day, will always be remembered with their names beautifully engraved on the new black granite memorial in the center of the park outside Town Hall. In addition to the new memorial, we upgraded the park with landscaping surrounded by bricks and blue stone, replaced the water feature, and added benches, providing a serene environment to reflect on the tragic events that occurred 16 years ago.

I hope that you will be able to join us at Town Hall (10 Maple Avenue, New City) on September 11, at 5 p.m. for this year’s ceremony.

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