9/11 tribute planned

From somber to celebratory, the 10th anniversary of the September 9/11 tragedy will be commemorated in Sonoma with ceremonies and a Plaza barbecue.
The attacks of September 11, 2011 that felled the Twin Towers buildings in New York and downed two other commercial planes took nearly 2,800 lives, many hundreds of which were rescue workers.

Councilmember Ken Brown, one of many volunteers coordinating the local ceremony, said paying homage to those lost is an important and symbolic gesture. “I was born and raised New Yorker and know that part of town very well. Almost all of my immediate family lives in that area.”

Moreover, he said, “I am an American.”

The tribute begins on Sunday, September 11, at the Fire Station on Second Street West.

At 7:28 a.m., the time the first of the Twin Towers began to collapse, there will be a Final Bell Ceremony, a reading of the names of the firefighters who died that day, and a speech by Fire Chief Phil Garcia.

Activities in Sonoma Plaza begin at 9 a.m. with the reading of the names of all 9/11 victims. At noon the Sonoma Community Center will serve barbecue lunch and the Sonoma Home Town Band will play a set of vintage Americana. The live music continues with the Valley of the Moon Chamber Ensemble and the Sonoma Valley Chorale, The Hot Flashes, and Tommy Thomsen and Friends.

The event began to take shape, Brown said, when the chorale’s David Irvine contacted him with the idea. Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority Volunteers, the Sonoma Community Center and city staff, among many others, soon joined the all-volunteer effort.

Donations to support the event are encouraged. Checks may be sent to: SVFRA Volunteers, Fire Station #1, 630 Second Street West, Sonoma 95476, attention Tom Deely.

To volunteer to read names, or help out in another way, reach Ken Brown at 938.8623 or [email protected].