MEDIA ADVISORY: Georgetown Community Commemorates 25th Anniversary of 9/11 With Remembrance Events

Walter Sorenson, a local pilot who frequently flew the same route as American Airlines Flight 11, will speak during the ceremony

GEORGETOWN — Georgetown Police and Fire, in partnership with Georgetown Public Schools, will gather to recognize the 25th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, with a ceremony at the Georgetown Public Safety Building. 

The program of events includes ceremonial moments of silence, ringing of the bells, and remarks from special guest speakers, including Walter Sorenson, A local pilot who frequently flew the same route as American Airlines Flight 11 and knew the members of the crew.

The entire program will be livestreamed and viewed in class by all Georgetown Public Schools students in grades 4-12, followed by teacher-led discussions allowing students to reflect on, honor, and for the youngest of students, introduce and discuss the events of Sept. 11 in an age-appropriate way.

WHEN:

Friday, Sept. 11. Ceremonial bell ringing will begin at 8:46 a.m., followed by the ceremony at 9:05 a.m.

We recommend attendees be in place shortly after 8:30 a.m. if possible.

WHERE:

Georgetown Public Safety Building, 47 Central St. 

WHAT:

The First Congregational Church of Georgetown will ring bells at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., signifying moments of silence for American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the North and South Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, killing thousands. 

At 9:05 a.m., a ceremonial welcome will include a prayer by a local clergy member, special guest speakers, and the Firefighter’s Prayer. Sorenson, a local pilot who frequently flew the same route as American Airlines Flight 11 and knew the members of the crew, will give a speech during the ceremony that will pay tribute to the crews who died on the hijacked American Airlines flights, including American Airlines Flight 11. Sorenson will also share photos of those crews he had worked with and met along his career. 

The First Congregational Church of Georgetown will then toll bells at 9:37 a.m., 9:59 a.m., 10:03 a.m., and 10:28 a.m., signifying moments of silence for the planes that crashed into the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the collapse of the two towers. 

In a community effort to honor the events of Sept. 11, Georgetown Public Schools students will band together to pitch 2,977 flags up at the Public Safety Complex Building, with each flag honoring a victim who died on Sept. 11. Then, back at school, students who watched the live stream of the ceremony will participate in faculty-led discussions about the significance of Sept. 11. These discussions will be held in classrooms from Grade 12 all the way down to Grade 4, where it will be many of the students’ first times learning about the tragedy. 

View the full schedule of events here. 

Georgetown Fire and Police Chiefs, as well as Sorenson and additional guests of the ceremony, will be available to speak with media following the program. 

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