9/11 Memorial events in East Tenn cities
City of Knoxville and Knox County 9/11 ceremony on Friday.
City of Knoxville and Knox County officials will gather this Friday to honor the victims of September 11, 2001. The ceremony will be at the 9/11 Memorial on the lawn of the City-County Building in downtown Knoxville.
At 8:45 a.m. Knoxville Police Department Chaplain Pam Neal will welcome everyone. The ceremony will begin at 8:46 a.m. with a moment of silence with the ringing of bells at First Baptist Church, which marks the time hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Knoxville City Mayor Indya Kincannon and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs will place a wreath at the base of the monument that was installed in 2003.
The ceremony will also include bagpiper Chris Riedl, Sheriff & FBI Chaplain Harold Preyer, and Sheriff’s Office retiree Mike Freels who will play “Taps.”
Main Street will be closed to traffic between Walnut and Gay streets and KAT’s free trolleys will cease operation during the ceremony. All traffic should resume, no later than 9:15 a.m.
Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, everyone in attendance is asked to observe physical distancing and to wear a mask. No chairs will be set up for the service this year. CTV will be streaming the event live on www.ctvknox.org.
Oak Ridge police, firefighters to run 3.43 miles in remembrance of 9/11.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Oak Ridge 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will be a 3.43-mile run. Officials of the Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge Police Department will carry an American flag during a 3.43-mile run through Oak Ridge. The run will start at Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool at 8:46 a.m., time the first Twin Tower in New York City was hit on September 1, 2001.
Participants will go from the pool to Oak Ridge High School for the 9/11 ceremony, then continue on a route to City hall, and back to the pool.
Tri-Cities 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Bristol Motor Speedway this Saturday.
The large outdoor speedway allows for safety procedures which include social distancing, hand sanitizing stations, and masks worn in common areas. Community members are encouraged to participate.
The 6th annual event will give climbers the opportunity to climb 110 floors, the height of the World Trade Center. Each climber will carry an ID tag of a fallen hero from 9/11 and will ring a bell to announce the name of that hero.
Over the past five years, the Tri-Cities event has raised nearly $150,000 for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Proceeds benefit the FDNY Counseling Services Unit and the programs provided by the NFFF to support the nation’s fallen firefighters.
