Events are planned Friday and Saturday in Northampton and Warren counties to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Friday marks the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in New York City, Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and in a western Pennsylvania field.
Lehigh Valley region observances of the anniversary, dubbed Patriot Day, include:
An exhibit, free and open to the public, of World Trade Center and 9/11 relics 1 to 3 p.m. Friday at the Best Western Lehigh Valley Hotel & Conference Center, 300 Gateway Drive (Routes 512 and 22) in Hanover Township, Northampton County, outside Bethlehem.
Described by organizers with the Society for Human Resource Management Lehigh Valley as appropriate for children and adults, the exhibit includes:
- Original items, such as blueprints from the 1970s, 1990s and 2002, along with keys, locks, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's 1964 press release, drawings by architect Minoru Yamasaki and other unique historic items.
- Original items from the first World Trade Center gift shop, Windows on the World, Observation Deck and the Greatest Bar on Earth.
- Artistic and architectural renditions of the World Trade Center including artwork by Mafiosi Henry Hill, NASA artist Michael Knigin, Carlos Diniz and Limoges.
- Original photographs, newspapers, movie posters, comic books, post-9/11 recalled advertising and other imagery.
- Photographs of the World Trade Center and 9/11, many touted as having never before been seen.
Events 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest Center at Steel Stacks, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem. Activities include:
- A 7:15 p.m. ceremony honoring first responders at the Levitt Pavilion.
- Free 7:30 p.m. concert by Truck Stop Troubadours, also at the Levitt Pavilion.
- Firetruck displays by Bethlehem Fire Department and Mack Trucks.
- Flight simulator by Lehigh Valley Civil Air Patrol.
- Community arts and crafts, including sponge-paint-a-star to thank a first responder.
A service at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Warren County Emergency Services & 9/11 Memorial, 1500 Route 57 outside Washington. The memorial is between Warren County Technical School and Warren County Community College.
Other opportunities for observances include a field of 2,977 flags, for each of the hijackers' victims, planted on the University Center lawn at Lehigh University's Asa Packer Campus along East Packer Avenue. Visitors between 6:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. are encouraged to tag photos #LUremembers on social media.
The website 911memorial.org offers times for moments of silence, as well as timelines of events, their aftermath and the nation's efforts toward recovery.
Do you know of other memorial observances in the area? Leave a comment to help spread the word.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.