The California 9/11 Memorial annually commemorates the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriel Dillard

The annual California 9/11 Memorial Remembrance Ceremony will be held Thursday, Sept. 11 to honor and remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks.

The ceremony will take place at the California 9/11 Memorial in Clovis and begins at 8:30 a.m. 

The guest speaker is author and survivor of 9/11, Erik O. Ronningen. He served as a First Lt. in the United States Army Corps of Engineers after college.

Ronningen was on the 71st floor of the South Tower when the plane struck the building. After an incredible journey down the building, he was the last person out of the building alive. 

This event is free and open to the public. The location is 3485 Never Forget Lane in Clovis.

 

Fresno City College

At Fresno City College, a memorial begins at 9 a.m. Thursday in front of the Veterans Peace Memorial near the corner of Weldon and College avenues.

The ceremony will include a memorial wreath march featuring retired biology instructor Scott Porteous playing the bagpipes. Rick Jimenez, a pastor at Rivergate Ministries in Fresno and a former Marine Corps drill sergeant, will be delivering the keynote address.

A moment of silence will be observed along with the traditional ringing of the bell for the fallen firefighters. While most deaths on 9/11 were civilians, over 440 first responders lost their lives on that day. The ringing of the bell tradition is a solemn tribute to fallen firefighters.

 

Madera County Courthouse Park

The Madera County Supervisors along with local leaders will honor firefighters and first responders in front of the iconic downtown 9/11 firefighter memorial Thursday at 9 a.m.

The memorial displays one of the original steel beams of the World Trade Center where 2,977 people lost their lives, including 343 firefighters and 72 law enforcement members. 

The annual remembrance will begin with a presentation of colors, keynote speakers and a bell salute by the CAL FIRE L2881 Honor Guard.

Madera County is one of only a few places in the nation to feature a salvaged steel beam from the World Trade Center. Courthouse Park is also home to memorials for World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Madera County Centennial, the Air Force and Madera County law enforcement.