Among the many 9/11 memorial ceremonies across the country in houses of worship and outdoor sites marking the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, two outdoor remembrance events are taking place in Southwest Brooklyn.
Out at the Fort Hamilton Army Base, on Friday morning, September 9, at 10 a.m., in front of the Army Garrison Headquarters (Building 113) on Schum Avenue there will be a wreath-laying ceremony.
On Sunday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m., State Senator Marty Golden will hold the 15th annual memorial ceremony on the American Veterans Memorial Pier, at the foot of Bay Ridge Avenue and Shore Road. The program will include patriotic musical selections, a candlelight ceremony, a 21-gun salute, Taps and a moment of silence.
From the pier, you can see the Freedom Tower and the twin high-density spotlights beaming from where the Twin Towers were once located.
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Apparently, not everyone in the U.S.A. takes this coming Sunday’s 15th anniversary of 9/11, the worst attack ever on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, as seriously and appropriately. Frankly, I don’t understand why the Miss America Pageant would schedule its annual production and TV show on 9/11. Others we won’t mention here are holding a fundraiser!
The annual pageant has always been popular with my family. We have been watching the Miss America competition for several years. In fact, as a correspondent for this paper, my wife Janet and I flew out to Las Vegas when the pageant was held out on the west coast, to cover a young woman, Bethlene Pancoast, 25, from Bay Ridge who competed in 2007 as “Miss New York.” Unfortunately, the crown that year was won by Lauren Nelson from Oklahoma. But finally in 2013, a Brooklyn gal, Mallory Hytes Hagan, scored big time and copped the Miss America tiara!
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We are deeply saddened by the premature death of Giuseppe “Joey” Parrelli, at age 16, on August 28. Joey had a rare genetic connective disease. We were out at his house in Dyker Heights earlier in the month with a group of FDNY bagpipers and the FDNY Rescue 5 Squad from Staten Island who played for him and presented him with an American Flag that flew over Ground Zero. Our heartfelt condolence to Joey’s family and friends.
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
