Remembering 9/11 Amid Coronavirus: Services In Scotch Plains

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Over the years, the nation has come together at ceremonies in Clark and other U.S. communities to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

However, as the 19th anniversary of the attacks arrives, ceremonies are likely to look different.

To date, more than 6 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, prompting community leaders to put in place extra precautions and enhanced safety measures at these annual events. While some communities are moving events online, others are canceling events out of an abundance of caution.

Scotch Plains and Union County are among some of the communities planning 9/11 ceremonies amid the pandemic.

Scotch Plains

The Township of Scotch Plains will hold its annual 9/11 memorial service on Friday, Sept. 11. The service commemorating the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 will begin at 6 p.m. at the Scotch Plains 9/11 Memorial Monument on the Alan M. Augustine Village Green off of Park Avenue.

It will include remarks by Mayor Al Smith, along with prayers offered by local clergy in memory of the three Scotch Plains residents who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks: Matthew Horning, James Walsh and Mark Rothenberg.

Fanwood

Fanwood does not have any 9/11 ceremonies planned.

Union County

The Union County community is invited to honor the memory of the 60 residents who perished in the World Trade Center attack of 2001, by visiting the Union County September 11th Memorial on Friday, Sept. 11 at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside. The Memorial will be open from the morning hours until 9 p.m. on Sept. 11. The Union County Sheriff’s Office will provide a uniformed Honor Guard standing watch at the memorial from 6 to 9 p.m. The public is invited to bring and light candles in memory of those lost in the attacks. The Union County Department of Parks and Recreation will also contribute candles to the memorial.

Services held at 9/11 attack sites will also look different this year because of the pandemic. Some have already faced a series of hurdles to go on as planned.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to send state health personnel to New York City to provide supervision during the annual "Tribute in Light" ceremony, a commemoration of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Cuomo said staff will be on hand to "ensure this year's tribute is held safely."

Cuomo's announcement came just days after 9/11 Memorial & Museum officials had nixed the 2020 tribute due to coronavirus concerns.

Now, the focus of the New York City commemoration will be reading the names of victims. Family members will not read the names in person this year; instead, recorded readings from the museum’s In Memoriam exhibition will be used for the ceremony.

In Arlington County, Virginia, located just outside Washington, D.C., the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial remains closed to visitors because of COVID-19 restrictions. Arlington County typically holds an annual remembrance ceremony, which this year will be held virtually. Specific plans for this year’s service will be released the week of Sept. 11, according to county spokesperson Erika Moore.

In Pennsylvania, the National Park Service will hold an abbreviated ceremony at Shanksville. The 20-minute “Moment of Remembrance” is set to begin at 9:45 a.m., without a keynote speaker or musical guests.

The names of each passenger and crew member from Flight 93 will be read aloud with the ringing of the "Bells of Remembrance," according to the agency’s website.

Both President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden plan to visit Shanksville on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, will attend Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies in New York this year.