Essex County Remembers 9/11: Solemn Ceremony Planned – West Orange, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County will hold its annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Eagle Rock Reservation on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

According to county officials, a solemn ceremony will take place starting at 8 a.m. at the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial inside the reservation, which is located on Eagle Rock Avenue in West Orange.

A brief program will be held with family members who lost a loved one in the tragedies, elected officials and clergy members from multiple religious faiths. Memorial wreaths will be laid at the monument, and a new U.S. flag will be raised. A string quartet will perform reverent selections of music at the memorial site after the ceremony until 2 p.m.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. noted that after the attacks, people spontaneously came to Eagle Rock Reservation to view the tragedy unfold at the Twin Towers and leave cards, letters, photos and flowers in an impromptu memorial in honor of their loved ones.

The Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial was dedicated in October 2002, just over a year after the attacks.

“Our September 11th Memorial is a special place for people to come for solace and comfort because of its unique location and its powerful message of peace and hope,” DiVincenzo said.

According to county officials, in 2009, the Essex County 9/11 Memorial was expanded to include a monument honoring the 33 flight crew members aboard the four airplanes that crashed. In 2011, a 7,400-pound steel and concrete artifact from the World Trade Center foundation was installed at the site and a bronze plaque was dedicated to honor emergency medical technicians who responded to Ground Zero and those who provided aid to people returning from New York across the Hudson River. In 2016, the Essex County Search and Rescue Dog Statue was dedicated at the site to commemorate the role that dogs had in the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center and Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks.

“We must never forget the importance of this day and remember all those who lost their lives,” DiVincenzo said. “I encourage everyone to take time out of their day to mark the 18th anniversary of September 11th and visit this revered site.”

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