The “World’s Borough” will join the nation in marking the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a number of memorial vigils and ceremonies scheduled to take place in the first half of this month.
As the city has done every year since the coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93, families and elected officials will gather in Lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11 for a memorial service at the National September 11 Memorial to read the victims’ names and offer prayers and words of comfort.
Queens, which lost hundreds of residents in the 9/11 attacks, will hold vigils across the borough to honor the victims and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero. The scheduled ceremonies, listed in chronological order, include the following:
Astoria
One of the first 9/11 tributes in Queens this year will be held in Astoria on Wednesday night, Sept. 6, as the United Community Civic Association and the Port Authority hold their annual candlelight vigil at McManus Memorial Park. The commemoration takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the park located at the corner of 81st Street and the Grand Central Parkway. Members of the Fire Department, the Corrections Department and the Port Authority will be in attendance.
Kew Gardens
The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery will take a different approach to remembering 9/11 by holding a community conversation about the attacks’ influence on New Yorkers and others. Moderated by Jo-Anne Raskin, the dialogue will examine how people’s attitudes and outlooks were transformed in witnessing the events and its aftermath. The event will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Victorian Administrative Building of Maple Grove Cemetery, located at 83-15 Kew Gardens Road. Seating is limited; to RSVP, email info[@]friendsofmaplegrove.org.
Maspeth
Residents of Maspeth will remember the victims of 9/11 at the neighborhood’s annual vigil, which will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Maspeth Memorial Park, located at the corner of 69th Street and Grand Avenue. The program includes prayers, patriotic music, a wreath-laying ceremony and remarks from elected officials. The park is located a short walk from the headquarters of Squad Company 288/Haz-Mat 1, which has participated in past vigils and was among the New York City firehouses that lost the largest number of members on 9/11.
East Elmhurst
St. Michael’s Cemetery in East Elmhurst will commemorate the 9/11 attacks with a memorial ceremony on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The service will pay special tribute to the first responders who rushed to the World Trade Center on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and to those police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others who have since died from illnesses after working in the recovery operation at Ground Zero. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony. St. Michael’s Cemetery is located at 72-02 Astoria Blvd. For more information, call 718-278-3240.
Glendale
Continuing to remember the 42 residents of Glendale, Middle Village, Ridgewood and Woodhaven who perished in the 9/11 attacks, hundreds will gather for a vigil at the 9/11 Memorial Garden in Glendale on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. The commemoration will include prayers, words of comfort and memorial music. The 9/11 Memorial Garden is located near Dry Harbor Playground at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and 80th Street. For more information, email haroldmecacbe[@]msn.com or capaced[@]aol.com.
Forest Hills
Richard Allen Pearlman, a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps, responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and was never seen again. The corps will again honor his memory with its second-annual “Run for Richie” motorcycle run, which will begin at 1 p.m. on Sept. 10 at Resorts World Casino New York City, located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd. in South Ozone Park. Escorted by the NYPD, the riders will head through Queens and Brooklyn before ending Indian Larry Motorcycles in Williamsburg. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ambulance corps. To register, visit www.nycpunishersLEMC.com.
College Point
The Poppenhusen Institute in College Point will hold its annual 9/11 remembrance concert at 2 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the historic institution located at 114-04 14th Road. The concert will include the Tarumi Violinists, inspirational music from Mary Courtney and remarks by Pastor Linda Gold of the First Reformed Church and Pastor Desmond of St. John’s Lutheran Church. The institute plans to hold the concert in the garden, but the event will take place indoors in the event of inclement weather. For more information, call 718-358-0067 or email poppenhusen[@]juno.com.
Woodside
Woodside residents will pay tribute to 9/11 victims with a memorial vigil from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday night, Sept. 11, at Doughboy Playground, located at the corner of Woodside Avenue and 56th Street. Woodside on the Move and the Doughboy Park Patriots are sponsoring the commemoration. For additional information or to volunteer, email afrager[@]woodsideonthemove.org.
Bayside Hills
The Bayside Hills Civic Association will again pay tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks with a ceremony to take place at 7 p.m. on Monday night at the northern corner of the Horace Harding Expressway and Bell Boulevard. Representatives of the Police and Fire Departments, local scout troops, elected officials, local religious leaders, the Bayside Business Association and the Bayside Village Business Improvement District are among the scheduled participants.
Howard Beach
The headquarters of Engine Company 331/Ladder Company 173 in Howard Beach will again play host to the neighborhood’s 9/11 memorial. The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday night at 158-57 Cross Bay Blvd. and will feature prayers, words of comfort and music. Light refreshments will be served following the ceremony. For more information or to help volunteer, call Frances Scarantino at 718-845-1429.
Middle Village
Juniper Valley Park held one of the largest vigils in New York City in the days immediately following the 9/11 attacks 16 years ago this month. The park will again host another candlelight vigil on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in the ballfields located off the intersection of Juniper Boulevard South and 78th Street. Organized by the 9-11 Candlelight Vigil Committee of Queens, the program includes music, poems and reflection. All are asked to bring lawn chairs, an American flag and either candles or a flashlight. For more information, visit www.911vigil.org.
