Families of those who lost their lives during the Sept. 11 attacks will be present at the ceremony as well as several artifacts.
Update as of Sept. 10 at 2:00 p.m.:
Due to inclement weather, the ceremony will take place inside the Mantua Township Municipal building meeting room at 401 Main Street in Mantua.
The Annual Gloucester County Patriot Day Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the 9/11 Memorial at the Place of Reflection, inside Chestnut Branch Park on Main Street in Mantua. The ceremony is open to the public and is about an hour long.
The memorial is a tribute to Gloucester County residents John Rodak, Nicholas W. Brandemarti, Perry Thompson and all of those who lost their lives during the attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001.
The brief ceremony includes bell ringing to coincide with the timing of the tragic events of that fateful morning, a wreath laying at the 9/11 Memorial, and participation from the Rodak and Brandemarti families, first responders, the Clearview Vocal Ensemble, area clergy and the Emerald Society.
This year is the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on America.
“I encourage everyone to set aside an hour from their day on Sept. 11 to join us in remembering the lives of our neighbors who were lost, and all those who perished on that fateful day seventeen years ago,” Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said.
“This ceremony is a small way to honor the loved ones lost on such a tragic day,” Mantua Township Mayor Pete Scirrotto said. “It also provides an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to those who serve in the military, as well as our emergency responders who fight to protect us each and every day.”
The Place of Reflection’s 9/11 Memorial includes many sacred elements such as a twisted I-beam from the World Trade Center, a flagpole donated by the Rodak and Brandimarti families, a professionally landscaped five-point area around the flagpoles as a tribute to the Pentagon victims of the attack of Sept. 11, and a memorial that represents those who were lost in the United Flight 93, Shanksville Penn. in 2001.
