These 20th anniversary 9/11 ceremonies are planned in Morris County

Twenty years after the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C., memorial events around Morris County will honor the 64 residents who were among the nearly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001. 

Organized gatherings begin 10 a.m. Friday in Morris Plains and conclude Sunday at the Morris County 9/11 Memorial on West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany.

At the 6 p.m. county ceremony the keynote speaker will be Rebecca Asaro, who joined the Fire Department of New York along with three of her brothers in honor of their father, Carl Francis Asaro. He was one of 343 FDNY members killed on Sept. 11, 2001, a month before his 38th birthday. The ceremony will be live-streamed.

Rebecca Asaro was 9 years old when she lost her father. She is now a member of his old Engine 54 unit.

"Four of us followed in his footsteps, with my younger brother and me graduating the academy in 2019,” she states in an event press release.

Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw said he was proud to have her and other honored guests stand with them "to once again say a prayer and echo our nation’s vow two decades later to never forget."

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The county event also will feature live music and a color guard march up West Hanover Avenue to the memorial that will include police, fire, rescue and emergency personnel from across Morris County. A special invocation will accompany a lighting of candles and the traditional reading of the names of each person who died from Morris County.

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Seating is limited, so the public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the outdoor observance. Parking will be available at the Morris County Department of Human Services building at 340 West Hanover Ave., on the Morris Township side of the street. Shuttle buses also will be available.

Police, fire departments and rescue squads from across the county are invited to participate by sending one apparatus per department to assemble at 4:30 p.m. at the Morris County Public Safety Academy, 500 West Hanover Ave., Parsippany.

Many towns and organizations also are conducting their own 9/11 observances over the weekend, including the following:

Friday

Morris Plains

The first of scheduled 9/11 ceremonies begins at 10 a.m. at the Morris Plains Memorial Park at the corner of Routes 53 and 202. Guest speaker: Capt. Richard Thornton.

Chester, Chester Township

The borough and township are uniting for an early 9/11 remembrance ceremony beginning 4 p.m. Friday at  Chubb Park, at 290 West Main St. The event will honor Gregg Froehner, 46, a Chester Township resident and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer who died while responding to the World Trade Center attack.

Saturday

Butler

Butler and Bloomingdale will team up for a 9/11 remembrance candlelight walk beginning with a 7:30 p.m. ceremony at Sloan Park. The walk will proceed down Hamburg Turnpike to Main Street in Butler. Glow sticks will be provided. Call the Butler Clerk's Office at 973-838-7200, ext. 226 for more information.

Chatham

A 9/11 remembrance walk will begin at 6.45 p.m. at the train station and will pass by a memorial at Remembrance Park before arriving for a 7:30 p.m. ceremony at Memorial Park.

Madison

Madison will observe the 20th anniversary with a remembrance event beginning at 8:45 a.m. at the 9/11 memorial at James Park on Condurso Way. Municipal horns will be timed to sound for each of the key moments on 9/11.

Montville

Montville and American Legion VFW Post 5481 will host a memorial service beginning 11 a.m. at Community Freedom Park Plaza on Changebridge Road.

Morris Township

A candlelight memorial begins at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 100 Harter Road. Masking and social distancing are required for this indoor event.

The Morris Museum also will host a "Day to Remember" program beginning at 10:45 a.m. The program will include a discussion with Sassona Norton, a sculptor who created an 18-foot-tall 9/11 memorial installed in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in memory of residents who were killed at the World Trade Center.

Norton also will screen a documentary about the making of the memorial. “A Memorial Journey,” followed by a Q&A. As New Jersey’s only Smithsonian Affiliate, the museum will present the Smithsonian Channel film, "911: Stories in Fragments," at 1 and 3 p.m.

Museum admission and events are free for the day.

Mountain Lakes

The pastors of St. Catherine's, St. Peter's and the Community churches will lead a brief prayer service beginning at 9 a.m. at Birchwood Lake.

Mount Olive

Mayor Rob Greenbaum will host a 9/11 commemoration beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Turkey Brook Park.

Parsippany

Mayor Michael Soriano will host a memorial ceremony beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall. Accompanied by members of the township’s police and fire departments and EMTs, the event will include song and multifaith prayers.

"It’s almost unimaginable that this took place a generation ago, as it still seems so vivid to so many of us," Soriano said. "The feelings we’re all reminded of each September must also include the unity and togetherness we felt in the aftermath."

The ceremony will be live-streamed on the township's social media pages and website, and will be shown in its entirety on Parsippany’s Video on The Go (Optimum cable TV Channel 21) throughout the day.

A moment of silence is planned by the twin tower steel beam and plaques showing the names of Parsippany’s victims at the front of the Town Hall Courtyard.

“None of us can avoid fear, pain, and suffering,” Soriano said. “But out of fear comes bravery, out of suffering comes healing, and out of pain comes understanding. It’s my hope that our service helps our residents in the grieving process as we look back on this tragedy while reminding each other that we’re here for one another each and every day.”

Rockaway

The United Methodist Church of the Rockaways, 1 Hoagland Ave., will present a 9/11 memorial concert by Agape Musical outreach, a multigeneration, multidenominational ensemble. The 4 p.m. program will include readings, songs and handbells.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven