Sept. 11 can never be just another day in the hearts of many Americans. Many will be looking for a way to memorialize the anniversary of last year’s terrorist attack. Here are some local happenings that aim to do just that: Community Card of Remembrance
To honor those who died on Sept. 11, and to pay tribute to the heroism and resolve of all Americans, three local funeral homes have created a card that members of the public can sign and use to express their thoughts and feelings about that day’s events.
The 6-foot-tall, poster-like cards will be sent to Engine Co. #236 in New York City, which was the first response team at the first tower on Sept. 11, 2001 and was credited with rescuing the last survivor.
The cards are available to sign during business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) through Sept. 11 at the following locations: Williams Funeral Home (856 Tunnel Rd., Asheville, 298-5555); Miller Funeral Home (208 W. State St., Black Mountain, 669-2977); and Moore Funeral Home (532 Country Club Rd., Brevard, 884-2139).
Free commemorative Liberty Ribbons are also available at the funeral homes.
The following events are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 11:
•Prayer Remembrance, 8:30-9:30 a.m., City/County Plaza in downtown Asheville — sponsored by Buncombe County Emergency Services and the Ashville Fire Department.
•Moment of Silence, 8:46 a.m.,Warren Wilson College. At 8:47, a bell near Vining Residence Hall will be rung, starting a chain of chime-ringing from point to point around the campus.
•Spirit of America Day of Caring and Remembrance, sponsored by United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, in partnership with the city of Asheville and Buncombe County, to celebrate volunteerism and the generosity of the community.
The day will coincide with the United Way’s annual Day of Caring; more than 1,200 volunteers will work on more than 130 different community projects.
•Day of Remembrance Program 12:30 p.m., City/County Plaza.
The Buncombe County Honor Guard will present the colors, and there will be a procession of law-enforcement and rescue personnel. The program will include testimonies from volunteers who worked at Ground Zero in the aftermath; a memorial time for personal reflection (with music provided by Asheville and A.C. Reynolds high schools; and a call for new community volunteers.
•Wish Tree Ceremony, 4-5:30 p.m. in City/County Plaza — sponsored by Kids Voting Buncombe County. The event will kick off Kids Voting Week, Sept. 11-17 in Asheville/Buncombe County.
Students will make star-shaped cards (with volunteer assistance), and inscribe their wishes for America.
•Emergency Services Personnel Dinner, 5:45 p.m., Trinity Baptist Church (216 Shelburne Road). All emergency-services workers are invited. A memorial service (also open to the public) will run from 7-8:30 p.m., after which everyone will adjourn to a candlelight prayer service outside the sanctuary. The service will end precisely at 9:11 p.m.
•Poets from Voice Like a Hammer — Women Poets Respond to 9-11 7 p.m., Malaprop’s Bookstore (55 Haywood St., Asheville) Local poets — including Glenis Redmond, Annabeth Watts, Carrie Gerstmann, Laura Hope-Gill and Mendy Knott — will read poems featured on the CD, as well as more recent poetry and essays ranging from commemoration to confrontation, from affirmation to resistance.
•Concert: Themes of Peace, 7:30 p.m., Warren Wilson College. The Charlotte-based Orchestra Lumiere will perform a concert in the college chapel
The program, an evening of reflection and remembrance, will include pieces by Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi, as well as other composers. Also featured will be WWC music department chairman Steve Williams, who will perform Albinoni’s “Adagio in G minor” on the chapel organ. The concert is free and open to the public.
•Candlelight Vigil, 8 p.m., UNCA Quad in front of Ramsey Library. Memorial name readings will begin at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.) on the library steps and continue until 9 p.m. Nearly 5,000 candles will be lit on the Quad. There will also be guest speakers and a memorial hymn.
Last year, the UNCA Student Government Association sold candles for 25 cents apiece, raising $500 for the Red Cross 9-11 Memorial Fund.
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