September 11th remembrance events held around Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – September 11th remembrance events and dedication services are happening all across the Charlotte area on Wednesday, 23 years after one of the worst days in American history.

At Romare Bearden Park, a ‘Flags of Remembrance’ dedication service is being held Wednesday afternoon. Close to 3,000 flags in the shape of the Twin Towers have been placed in the park to honor the lives lost in the terrorist attack.

Officials will toll a bell at 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m., 9:37 a.m., 9:59 a.m., 10:03 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. to mark the times the planes crashed and the towers of the World Trade Center.

A support beam from the World Trade Center will also be on display.

The guest speaker for the event is retired FDNY member Rich Scola. Scola is a ten-year veteran of the department. He was part of the rescue and recovery efforts on Sept. 11.

Scola was exposed to a toxic environment at Ground Zero and sustained medical issues which led to a forced early retirement. The Steven Coakley Foundation is named for another member of FDNY who lost his life trying to save people inside the World Trade Center. Coakley’s sister, Kara Walker, and her husband started the organization in his name in 2002.

Elsewhere, high school students in Concord marked the Sept. 11 anniversary. The ceremony took place at Jay M. Robinson High School. The school’s Air Force Junior ROTC organized the event.

In Cornelius, town leaders will host their annual “Never Forget” ceremony Wednesday morning. That’ll be at the Sept. 11th monument at the Cornelius-Lemley Fire Station Number One.

In Gastonia, ceremonies will be held at Fire Station One on North Myrtle School Road and Station Four on Armstrong Road.

On Wednesday, Queen City News’ Chief Transportation Correspondent Maycay Beeler , who is a registered pilot, spoke on how Sept. 11 forever changed flight security in the United States.

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