Fourteen years after the deadliest terrorist attacks in American history, residents across Queens will remember the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, at memorial vigils scheduled to take place over the next two weeks.
As in past years, family members of the 2,977 people who died either in or responding to the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 will gather at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in Lower Manhattan on Friday morning, Sept. 11, for the city’s annual memorial service. A citywide moment of silence will be observed at 8:46 a.m., the time when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
In Queens, tributes to the attack victims will be held on Sept. 11 and in days preceding and following the anniversary. They include the following, listed in chronological order:
Maspeth
With the Manhattan skyline in the background, Maspeth Memorial Park again hosts the community’s annual 9/11 memorial ceremony on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 9. The vigil will start at 11 a.m. in the park located at 69th Street and Grand Avenue, adjacent to the Maspeth Federal Savings bank. The program includes prayers, music and a wreath-laying at the park’s monument to the 9/11 victims.
Astoria Heights
Victims of the 9/11 attacks will be honored in a special way at the memorial service that the United Community Civic Association and the Port Authority will hold on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 10, at McManus Memorial Park in Astoria Heights. The annual tribute takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the park located on 81st Street at the Grand Central Parkway service road. Elected officials, religious leaders and members of the Port Authority and local law enforcement are expected to participate.
Woodside
Members of three western Queens communities will honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks at a candlelight vigil on Sept. 11 at Doughboy Playground in Woodside. The event, organized jointly by the Hunters Point, United Forties and Woodside civic associations and Woodside on the Move, will occur from 6 to 9 p.m. at the park located on Woodside Avenue between 55th and 56th streets.
Bayside Hills
All are invited to join the Bayside Hills Civic Association in honoring the victims of 9/11 at its annual candlelight vigil on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the corner of Bell Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway.
Forest Hills
The Forest Hills Community and Civic Association will co-sponsor a candlelight vigil on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Remsen Cemetery Park, located at the corner of Trotting Course Lane and Alderton Street, just north of Metropolitan Avenue. The annual vigil pays special tribute to three local residents who died on 9/11: firefighter Pete Nelson, Gregory Hoffman and Richard Allen Pearlman, a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
Middle Village
Juniper Valley Park will again play host to the annual Middle Village 9/11 Candlelight Vigil on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the ballfields located near the park’s 9/11 memorial, off the intersection of 78th Street and Juniper Boulevard South. All attendees are asked to bring a lawn chair and a candle or a flashlight.
East Elmhurst
St. Michael’s Cemetery will again hold its annual “Remember Me Run” on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 12, to honor the first responders who died while responding to the World Trade Center attack. The 2-mile run through the cemetery, which raises funds to support the Christopher Santora Scholarship Fund, will begin promptly at 2 p.m. and conclude with a memorial service. Click here more information or to register for the run.
Glendale
The 42 residents of Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Woodhaven who died in the World Trade Center attacks will be honored at the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony in Glendale on Sunday, Sept. 13. The tribute takes place at 12:30 p.m. in the 9/11 Memorial Garden at Dry Harbor Playground, located at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 80th Street. The ceremony will include prayers, music and a recitation of the 42 victims’ names.
Tribute in Light
Another tribute to the 9/11 victims will be visible to thousands of Queens residents at sundown on Sept. 11 when the Tribute In Light — twin beams of light representing the former Twin Towers’ place in the Manhattan skyline — will be illuminated from Lower Manhattan. The lights will remain on through the night before fading away at sunrise on Sept. 12.
