Wednesday will mark 23 years since the horrific terrorist attacks devasted New York City and forever changed the world.
Several local organizations across Queens are hosting memorial events on September 11, 2024, to mark the anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. They will honor the lives of the 2,983 victims who died that day, among them many emergency responders who put their lives on the line that day.
From attending a candlelight vigil in the evening to paddling out into the ocean in the morning, there are several places in Queens to commemorate 9/11 alongside fellow New Yorkers this year. A significant memorial ceremony will also take place in Lower Manhattan.
Observance in Bayside
The Bayside Hills Civic Association will hold its annual 9/11 observance at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the northside corner of Horace Harding Expressway and Bell Boulevard in Bayside.
The gathering along the highway overpass will include a candlelight vigil. Attendees are encouraged to bring a glass-enclosed candle. For more information, visit the BHCA Facebook page.
Paddle Out in Breezy Point
The nonprofit organization AmpSurf NY is hosting its annual memorial paddle out and wreath-laying remembrance ceremony in Breezy Point on Wednesday morning.
Paddleouts are considered a hallowed and special ritual in surfing communities worldwide. To honor a fallen member, participants enter the water together and link hands to form a circle on the surface.
The event can be attended either in the water or on the shore. Attendees planning to paddle out must bring their own surf gear, including a surfboard and wetsuit.
Those interested should register online, with the option of participating as a volunteer.
Juniper Valley Park Vigil
This year, the 9/11 Candlelight Vigil of Queens organization will mark the 23rd anniversary in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village. Like in years past, the group will meet under the park’s American flag.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a candle or flashlight, their own flag and a chair. Organizers say there will be music, poems and moments of reflection for the heroes.
Motorcycle Parade
A citywide motorcycle group mostly composed of current and retired police officers will host their annual “Run for Richie” motorcycle parade escorted by the NYPD on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The 9th annual event is to raise funds for the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps and in remembrance of former member Richard Allen Pearlman. He joined the corps at age 14 and was 18 years old when he aided the injured at the World Trade Center on 9/11. The ride is named in his honor.
Attendees say that all bikes are welcome, including sports bikes, foreign & domestic bikes, trikes, sidecars, choppers, homemade bikes, and anything else requiring a motorcycle license from the DMV.
Registration includes a commemorative challenge coin and entry for the driver and one passenger. The first 411 participants will receive a numbered coin to represent the number of first responders who lost their lives at the WTC on 9/11.
Pre-registration is encouraged for the ride, which starts at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park boathouse’s parking lot in Corona, right off the Van Wyck Expressway.
NYC Parks
Attending a scheduled memorial event on the anniversary of 9/11 is not the only way to mark the solemn tragedy. A handful of parks across Queens were renamed in honor of the city’s fallen heroes to remember their sacrifices.
Among them are the 9/11 Tribute Park in the Rockaways and Carlos R. Lillo Park in East Elmhurst, which honors a paramedic who lost his life that day.
Firefighter Field at Louis Pasteur Park in Douglaston honors three firefighters who died saving the lives of others. Two of them, Thomas Holohan and James J. Corrigan, were among the firefighters who stormed the Trade Center the morning of 9/11 and did not survive.
