One Boston Day: Solemn memorials held on Boylston St. before, during Boston Marathon
Before runners start down the course from Hopkinton to Copley Square on Monday, the city of Boston and the Boston Athletic Association honored the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, 11 years after the attack.
The One Boston Day memorial ceremonies began just after 8 a.m. with visits to the memorial sites along Boylston Street for the families who lost loved ones at the 2013 Boston Marathon. The granite, bronze, glass and brick memorials were completed in 2019 and mark the two spots along Boylston Street where the bombs went off.
Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Campbell, 29; and Lu Lingzi, 23, were killed in the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. More than 200 people were injured.
MIT police Officer Sean Collier, 27, was killed days later during the manhunt for the bombers. Boston police Officer Dennis Simmonds died one year after responding to the shootout with the bombers.
Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu will join the families of the victims on Boylston Street for a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at each memorial site, both marked with three stone pillars for the three victims.
At 2:49 p.m., Old South Church's bell rang as another memorial to the victims.
Video below: Bells ring in memorial
Every year, Boston marks One Boston Day by encouraging acts of charity and kindness across the city. The tradition honors the victims, survivors and first responders every April 15, while also furthering the outpouring of strength and unity that followed the attack.
The events on Monday include the Stepping Strong Center’s One Boston Day Blood Drive, which will be held in Kenmore Square.