Several south suburbs are planning memorial services to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Ceremonies will pay tribute to the thousands of innocent victims killed when two jets were crashed into New York’s World Trade Center Twin Towers and a third jet crashed into the Pentagon.
A fourth hijacked jet that was suspected of targeting the White House crashed in Pennsylvania after the passengers attacked the hijackers.
Oak Lawn
The Oak Lawn remembrance ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m. at Patriot Metra Station/First Responders Monument, 9525 S. Tulley Ave.
Hosted locally with the Oak Lawn VFW and community organizations to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the 15th anniversary of the local memorial.
Two pieces of steel recovered from the North Tower of the World Trade Center traveled last week from the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn to Rochester, New York, where they were part of a series of events honoring the victims and first responders of Sept. 11, 2001.
The steel pieces are the centerpiece of the Museum’s America United: The Days After 9/11 exhibit, which focuses not on the attacks themselves, but on the extraordinary unity, compassion and willingness to help others that emerged across the country in the days and weeks that followed.
Worth
Ceremonies will be held throughout the morning of Friday, Sept. 11. A ceremony will be held at the Eternal Flame Memorial at 111th Street and Harlem Avenue. The bells will toll at about 7:50 a.m. to mark the first attack of the World Trade Center in New York City 25 years ago.
A Patriot Day ceremony will also be held from 8:20 to 8:40 a.m. at Worth Junior High School, 11151 S. New England Ave.; from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. at Worth Elementary School, 11158 S. Oak Park Ave.; and 9:30 to 10 a.m. at Worthwoods School, 11000 S. Oketo Ave.
Scouts are welcome to wear their uniforms at the ceremonies held at the Worth schools. Guests are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue. Refreshments for first responders and village representatives will be served at Worthwoods following the ceremony.
Palos Heights
The city will hold a remembrance ceremony at city hall, 7607 W. College Drive, on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 a.m.
The ceremony will include a performance by musicians and the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to the first responders who were killed in the attacks and subsequent rescue efforts, which will stand alongside the city’s existing monument to the victims of the attacks.
Orland Park
The village will honor Patriot Day with an evening of music, remembrance and community at Centennial Park West, 15609 Park Station Blvd., on Friday, Sept. 11, from 5-8 p.m. The evening begins with the Nuclear Jazz Quarktet from 5-6 p.m., followed by a Patriot Day Commemoration and a performance by the Southwest Community Concert Band from 6:30-8 p.m. This free event is open to all ages.
Bridgeview
Participants led by Fire Fighters Union Local 4330 will climb stairs at SeatGeek Stadium to honor the fallen first responders at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.