BY ROBERT PELAEZ, ELLIOT WELD AND ROSE WELDON
A state-mandated limit on crowd capacity and physical distancing requirements will not stop local municipalities from holding memorial events to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
VILLAGE EVENTS
Great Neck Vigilant Fire Chief Josh Charry said the area’s yearly memorial ceremony will be held at Jonathan Ielpi Firefighter’s Park on Grace Avenue beginning at 9 a.m. on the 11th. Charry said mask usage and social distancing will be observed by all in attendance.
Ielpi’s life was one of hundreds throughout Nassau County that was taken by the terroristic acts nearly 20 years ago. Ielpi’s memory is also kept intact by his #16 high school hockey jersey being hung from the Saddle Rock Bridge, where the view of the city skyline is straight ahead.
The Manhasset Clergy Association has not yet announced if it will hold its annual candlelight memorial service, traditionally held at the Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road. Efforts to reach its members were unavailing.
Floral Park will hold an event that begins at 8:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour, according to Mayor Dominick Longobardi. The names of 11 residents who perished in the attacks will be read, as will a prayer, and a moment of silence will be observed, among other things.
The Village of Manorhaven will hold an in-person but socially distanced event outside Village Hall at 9:30 a.m. on the day, with “various local officials” from other villages across the Port Washington peninsula on hand to speak. The Port Washington Fire Department will also be present.
Mineola Village Clerk Joe Scalero said some form of memorial will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, as it is every year, but it might not look like it does most years.
“We’re trying to figure out exactly what form it’s going to take because of social distancing,” Scalero said.
He went on to say that it could look something like the Memorial Day ceremony that the village held in May, where veterans groups were allowed to attend the actual ceremony and a certain number of members of the public were allowed to watch from a distance.
In East Williston, Mayor Bonnie Parente said the village will hold an event on the Village Green at 7 p.m. on the 11th. Six feet of physical distance and masks will be required.
“Our position is that we can maintain social distance and follow CDC guidelines while still keeping our promise made 19 years ago to never forget,” Parente said.
Parente said East Williston resident and Chaminade High School student Michael Leccese will play taps and Kaileigh Fiorello will sing “God Bless America.” The guest speaker will be Billy McClean, an East Williston resident and a survivor of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
A flyer posted on the Village of Williston Park website advertises an event that will be held at Kelleher Memorial Field at 7:30 p.m. on the day. It will take place rain or shine.
TOWN EVENTS
The Town of North Hempstead will hold a virtual 9/11 Memorial Service beginning at 9 a.m. on the day, which will be broadcast on North Hempstead TV (channel 18 or 63 on Cablevision and channel 46 on Verizon FIOS) and will be live-streamed online on the town’s social media pages and at www.mynhtv.com.
“This is a sacred ceremony and my hope is that the virtual ceremony is just as moving as the in-person ceremony,” said Town Clerk Wayne Wink. “We must always remember and honor the victims and first responders from September 11th in a special way.”
“Although this year’s ceremony may look a little different, we invite everyone in our community to join us in recognizing the lives that were so tragically lost that day,” said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “We want to let the families who lost loved ones know that they will never be alone, and their loved ones will never be forgotten.”
The Town of Hempstead’s planned memorial at 7:30 a.m. at Point Lookout Town Park will go on in a socially distant fashion, with observers invited to drive in and stay in their cars during the ceremony, and wear a mask should they approach the memorial.
COUNTY EVENTS
Nassau County will hold an in-person remembrance and recitation of names ceremony on Sept. 10 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Eisenhower Park. Nassau residents are welcome to attend the event, while maintaining social distance and mask observance protocols, but county officials urged people to watch the ceremony live on the county’s website, nassaucountyny.gov/september11.
Surviving family members of people who lost loved ones 19 years ago will read names of others who sacrificed their lives in the attacks. The Sept. 11 memorial features all 348 names of Nassau County residents who lost their lives along with two aluminum towers and two pieces of steel recovered from the World Trade Center.
“The passing of time will not dim the memory of that day or weaken the spirit of our residents and heroic first responders,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “We will honor the bravery and heroism shown by our first responders and everyday people who stepped up during a time of crisis, while commemorating and reflecting on those we lost and continue to lose.”
