Ridgewood September 11th Ceremony to Evoke the Past

Bernadette Walsh vividly remembers the bright sunny skies on September 11, 2001. Today, she contemplates the events of a decade ago with deep reverence; a brilliant sunshine interrupted by unimaginable acts.

“I had called my mother after realizing the first plane hit and was speaking to her on the phone as we both watched the second plane hit,” the councilwoman recalled. “The silence between us was deafening as we both realized the horror unfolding that day.”

Ridgewood will be remembering the lives of the twelve citizens whose were lost on September 11 by harkening back to the ceremony that had taken place a decade ago.

At 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, the village will be holding its tenth anniversary municipal ceremony at the Memorial Rock in Van Neste Square Park.

“The Village of Ridgewood 9-11 Memorial Service is unique as the solemness of the events are presented in the same format as was done at the first memorial in November 2001," Village Manager Ken Gabbert said. “Our focus is on remembering those lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.”

“All the clergies will be involved, as well as color guards from fire and police,” Mayor Keith Killion said. Invitations have been extended to former council persons that were in office that day, according to the mayor. “We want to do a tasteful service as a remembrance of a tragic event that affected us all.”

A presentation of Gabriel Faure's The Requiem will lead the pre-ceremony interfaith service, which will take place at West Side Presbyterian Church before the ceremony at 4:00 p.m. Local houses of worship, choral groups, and musicians including the Ridgewood Concert Band and Ridgewood Symphony will perform on Sunday. Baritone Dr. Robert Prowse will be the featured soloist, as he was a decade ago.

“The event will provide Ridgewood with an opportunity to come together, to reflect and to remember,” said Ridgewood councilman Paul Aronsohn.

In addition to the ceremonies that day, the library will also be displaying a photography exhibit at the Belcher Auditorium throughout the month of September. “Portraits” will honor the memory of ‘Ridgewood’s Twelve’ with photos, and will also serve as a dedicated place of reflection. Photos taken at the memorial ceremony a decade ago will be on display, according to village officials.

“I’m hoping that the Village of Ridgewood’s planned memorial event for our community allows us to remember all those lost on 9/11 and to share with our lost residents’ families memories of their loved ones that still shine bright,” Walsh said.