“Muhlenberg Remembers” will reflect on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

Planners say outdoor events conceived with covid-19 safety in mind

Greenville Tourism Commission met with city officials, first responders and local healthcare professionals before deciding at a meeting on Aug. 26 to move forward with plans for Muhlenberg Remembers, a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 to be held in Greenville Sept. 7-11.

When the tourism commissioners began planning this multi-day event in March, they had covid-19 restrictions in mind. Tourism president Sabrina Scott said at the time, mandates hadn’t yet been lifted.

“We were looking for something safe, because at the time covid was so bad. We were looking for something outdoors,” Scott said.

The commission came up with a series of small, outdoor events, meant to draw crowds for a few hours each evening. Even with the covid-19 mandates lifted, these events fall under state guidelines to limit the spread of the virus.

The commemoration will begin on Sept. 7 with a concert held outdoors in downtown Greenville. There will be a limited number of tickets sold for the event, a move organizers say will help control the crowd size. Darryl Worley will perform his country music hit “Have You Forgotten?”, a 9/11 tribute ballad released in 2003.

The week also includes several opportunities for the community, and especially young people, to learn more about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

One way to help teach about the anniversary is through a partnership with SOAR, an early childhood development agency in the county. They will be co-hosting the Sept. 8 event, “SOAR with First Responders”, a chance for youngsters to talk to local firefighters and police officers, and receive a free book about 9/11. They will be providing copies of “Towers Falling”, a young adult novel about children growing up in the aftermath of 9/11. For younger readers they will provide copies of “What Were the Twin Towers?”.

The main focal point of the remembrance will be the Tunnel to Towers 5K run, to be held at 8 a.m. on Sept. 11. Starting in Veterans Plaza in downtown Greenville, the run honors those who perished in the Twin Towers in New York City, as well as first responders and military troops.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was established by the family of Stephen Siller, a firefighter who died saving others at Ground Zero on 9/11. He had left the fire station after ending his shift, and heard the news of a plane striking the first tower. When he turned around to head back to the station, the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was already closed for security reasons, the foundation’s website says. He then strapped 60 pounds of equipment to his back and took off running toward the towers. The 5K run honors his journey.

Each year, Tunnel to Towers Run, Walk, Climb series features events in approximately 70 cities around the world. This year, Greenville has been chosen to host an event.

Scott said working with the foundation has been a learning experience about what the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 go through. The organization was founded just months after Siller’s passing, and their first 5K run was held a few weeks after the one-year anniversary of 9/11.

Siller was the youngest of seven siblings, and orphaned when he was a teen. He was raised by his brothers and sisters, and they wanted to do something in his honor when they started the foundation.

The foundation uses funds raised from these events along with donations to build mortgage-free “smart homes” fitted for accessibility for veterans and first responders who have catastrophic injuries. The homes are tailored to the specific needs of the recipient, and include features like wider halls and doorways, special showers, and automated features like lighting, heating and cooling.

“They said they wanted it to be symbolic,” Scott says of the 5K run. The race in New York City traces Siller’s steps through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel into lower Manhattan.

Siller’s family was also looking for a way to celebrate Stephen’s life. The 5K held in New York City each year is followed by a block party, with music and food and celebration.

Here in Greenville, there will be a post-race block party too, with food trucks, a parade and live music, beginning at 10 a.m. There will also be a fireworks display and a lighted tribute in downtown Greenville starting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11.

“It was a hard decision,” Scott said, of moving forward with the events during the current spike in covid-19 cases in the county. They have decided to cancel the inflatables and move the only indoor event outside, to avoid spreading the virus. They will also promote safe distancing and encourage people to wear masks.