Oak Lawn Plans Ceremony To Mark 20th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

OAK LAWN, IL — Join Oak Lawn village officials for a memorial service commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 and to honor the contributions of first responders. Residents will gather by the 9/11 Memorial at Oak Lawn Patriot Station, 95th Street and Museum Drive. The ceremony starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11.

The memorial ceremony features remarks by Mayor Terry Vorderer, Rev. Daniel Stidham, of Calvary Church, Dist. 229 Supt. Dr. Michael Riordan, U.S. Army Major Dan Johnson and Oak Lawn Fire Chief Zack Riddle. Performances by the Oak Lawn Community High School choir and a poem, "Emerging From The Storm" will be recited by Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School student and National Junior Honor Society member Sera Abdelrahman. Johnson-Phelps VFW Post 5220 will present the colors. The 30-minute ceremony will conclude with 21 tolls of a fire engine bell.

>>> An Oak Lawn Patriot Day to Remember(9/11 Memorial dedication Sept. 11, 2011)

Oak Lawn’s world-class 9/11 sculpture was created by renowned bronze artist Erik Blome. The sculpture was commissioned by the Oak Lawn Rotary Club and was dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Blome’s “Heralds of 9/11” incorporates four beams from the fallen World Trade Center towers, which stand amid bronze obelisks, creating a grove effect. Embedded into the obelisks are likenesses of hands and faces of people: police officers, firefighters, and civilians who came to the aid of strangers. The police officer's face on the monument is Japanese, honoring the nationality of the architect—Minoru Yamasaki— who designed the World Trade Center.

Watch the tenth anniversary dedication of Oak Lawn's 9/11 Memorial