Its been 8 years since these memorials started and we always have a great turn out. Amazingly, around 300 people attended the memorial to honor the victims and survivors of September 11th.
The weathers timing couldn’t have been better; the rain had stopped a while before the memorial started.
The event consisted of a few small speeches, some songs, a beautiful poem by Nicole D’Agosta, and prayer (apologies no video this year).
GerritsenBeach.net was even mentioned and credited in a speech from our coverage of last year, with our opinion that kids under 13 (in 2007) really have no understanding of that day. James Giorgio, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, extended our observation that these memorials need to be a lesson for kids. His point was that, parents and neighbors need to explain what that day meant to everyone and how they felt. The idea is that everyone can understand the event and that it wont be forgotten.
We here at GerritsenBeach.net love this event and think its wonderful and needed. However, we feel that the songs need to be toned down at this event. Four songs is too much, 300 people attended an event to remember the day, not to hear a song. Even though they sing very well and it’s appropriate, we feel that more poems, more stories, more people speaking would be a great way to have kids remember that day. On a side note, It wouldn’t hurt to position the crowd for better picture taking. (Hint, Hint: Move stuff around)
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i disagree with you about the songs the whole ceremony was one of the best done ever from the prayers and song songs and the speech by the grand knight was very moving. Gerrittsen beach did us proud
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@annmarieminze, I’m glad you disagree with me.
I just want to make clear that I thought this event was well done and everything was appropriate. I just am thinking critically to figure out how to improve the event. IE Songs need to be cut down, and crowd control.
The Knights did a great job with the 9/11 Memorial.
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The Knights, as usual, organized a magnificent Memorial service. Despite the strong winds and rain–which subsided just in time for the service–over 300 people attended. Testimony to the strength of our community. Nicole’s poem was a masterful expression of heartfelt feelings, that moved each of us. Our prayers should always include those who were lost, and their families, and indeed, we should not forget.
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@George Broadhead, Testimony to the strength of the neighborhood indeed!
Well done to the members of the Knights, James Giorgio and all who were there to help set up for this most important day of remembrance.
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I know a lot of people who were in or close to the WTC that day and have problems with PTS, survival guilt or just trying to understand the day in general. It has been 8 years and no one seems to remember the survivors. 9/11 doesn’t get easier for them either.
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My brother in-law died in one tower and my sister in-law and best friend made it out of the other. Every year I think about the horror that she has gone thru to lose a brother and to experience what she did that day. She talked about it for a long time and people got tired of hearing her story, they just wanted to move on. My heart goes out to her, she has moved on but she can not forget although she hardly talks about it anymore. Everyday, she takes the path train to the World Trade Center. She is the strongest person I know but, when she needs to talk and cry, I would never tell her to “get over it”. She was also there during the first Trade Center Bombing. It is a tragedy for the families that lost loved ones, but the real tragedy is the people that made it out and have to relive 9/11 every year. I think that it is ridiculous that the president wants us to call 9/11 a day of service when it should be a day of remembrance. I’m not talking about ceremonies every year, but kind of like how we remember pearl harbor. We should never forget that our country was violently attacked and it should never happen to innocent citizens again.
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@neighbor,
Amen to that…One day when we have a pres with a clue this WILL happen
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