Many central Ohio communities, including several in Delaware County, are among those marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
This week, the Community Library, 44 Burrer Drive, Sunbury, along with all four Delaware County District Library locations have presented a free exhibit called “September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World.” Curated by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the exhibit consists of 14 posters that tell the story of what happened on that fateful day, and the ongoing aftermath. The Community Library also has 9/11-related books on display nearby that can be checked out.
The exhibit can be seen during regular hours at the Community Library through 5 p.m. Saturday. The Delaware County District Library will keep its displays up through Tuesday, Sept. 14.
In Sunbury, below the hill the Community Library sits on is the Ohio Fallen Heroes Memorial, which “displays a cross for every Ohio soldier who’s died in the line of duty in a War on Terror combat zone since September 11, 2001,” said the website RoadsideAmerica.com. “It’s in Sunbury because the town is near the geographic center of Ohio.”
Admission is free and considered “worth a detour” by the website.
A twisted piece of steel from the World Trade Center is at First Responders Park, 374 W. Main St., Westerville. The site will mark the anniversary with free events. First, at noon Saturday, the Westerville Chaplain Corps will host a daytime observance called “Remembering by Moving Forward.”
A special exhibit will be on view 7:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the park, with a look at life before and during the attacks. Footage of the attacks will be presented. Live musicians and storytellers will perform during the event, and Westerville students who were not yet born on that day will talk about the aftermath.
“Then, every attendee will be given the opportunity to declare their decision to ‘choose HOPE’ for a better tomorrow,” said the city’s website. For more information, call 614-901-6548.
The public is also invited to join the Powell Police Department and Liberty Township/Powell Fire Department for a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Greater Powell Veterans Memorial in Village Green Park, 47 Hall St., Powell.
Nationally, President Joe Biden has designated Saturday and Sunday as “National Days of Prayer and Remembrance” to honor those who lost their lives due to the terrorist act on U.S. soil.
“Twenty years ago, our Nation was forever changed,” the proclamation begins. “On September 11, 2001, as ordinary people started their days in Manhattan, Shanksville, and Arlington, cowardly acts born out of twisted hate stole 2,977 innocent lives, devastating families and communities.”
