Baltimore County To Commemorate 9/11 With Wreath Laying Ceremony

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Baltimore County will host a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday, Sept. 11, to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The event will honor emergency personnel who responded to the situation and victims who lost their lives.

Nearly 3,000 Americans, including 69 from Maryland, were killed in the attacks carried out by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida.

These are among those with ties to Baltimore County:

• David W. McNeal, a financial analyst who was working in the south tower, was killed when the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center. He was 29 and a 1990 graduate of Loyola Blakefield in Towson, where he was also class president, according to the Catholic Review. A scholarship has been named for him at the school, which will announce this year's recipient at its Sept. 16 mass.
• Cortez Ghee of Reisterstown was killed at the Pentagon. The 54-year-old worked for the Army as a budget analyst.
• Towson University alumna Elizabeth Wainio, class of 1995, was killed on United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed in Shanksville, Pa.

Towson University held a ceremony honoring Vainio and other victims as well as first responders. That took place at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, at the 9/11 Memorial Garden in front of Newell Hall on campus.

How To Commemorate 9/11 In Baltimore County

The Baltimore County 9/11 remembrance ceremony will be live-streamed on Facebook through Baltimore County government. It is slated to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Here are other ways to honor victims on the 20-year anniversary of 9/11:

At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, the Towson Chamber of Commerce is hosting a concert at Patriot Plaza honoring first responders. Food trucks will be on-site, and there will be free admission for health care workers, first responders and military members. Children under 12 will also be admitted free. Tickets for all others are $5. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at the plaza at 401 Bosley Avenue in Towson.

The Hope and Peace Foundation will host its 10th annual 9/11 Patriot Ride from Darlington to Parkville. It begins in Harford County at the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company at 2600 Castleton Road. A moment of silence, honor guard ceremony and guest speakers will precede the ride. Registration is $20 per bike or vehicle. The motorcycle ride will end at McAvoy's, 2531 Putty Hill Ave, in Parkville, where a bell will toll at 12:30 p.m. Later there will be food and live music along with a candlelight vigil at 6:20 p.m. Proceeds from this event will go to America's 9/11 Living Classroom, a traveling exhibit that tells the history of those who died on Sept. 11.

See Also:

• Towson University To Host 9/11 Day Of Remembrance Ceremony
• Remembering 9/11 Victim From Reisterstown 20 Years Later
• Hogan Orders Half-Staff Flags, Offers Time Off To 9/11 Volunteers

Patch editor Kristen Danley-Greiner contributed to this article.