An early-morning ruck march, an evening ceremony and an overnight lights display are among the ways Naperville will pause in remembrance of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Naperville Responds for Veterans is involved with planning both events, while the city will shine two beams of light behind the Naperville Municipal Center to represent the Twin Towers in New York City, which fell during the attacks. The lights will shine from dusk on Thursday, Sept. 10 until dawn on Friday, Sept. 11.
Memorial Ruck March starts at 6 a.m.
Early on the morning of Sept. 11 — 25 years after terrorists attacked the U.S. by hijacking airplanes in flight — a group will gather at Naperville Safety Town with backpacks on.
The packs will be part of the 9/11 Memorial Ruck March planned by the nonprofit Naperville Responds for Veterans. The event includes a three-mile walk, with ruck packs optional but encouraged, as well as a Millennium Carillon Tower Climb at Naperville’s Moser Tower.
Registration and check-in for the ruck begins at 5 a.m., with the march stepping off at 6 a.m. from 1320 Aurora Ave. Participants can register online in advance by clicking the “9/11 Ruck” link at the top of Naperville Responds for Veterans’ homepage.
The ruck march costs $40 for participants 13 and older, and registration includes a commemorative T-shirt. Naperville Responds for Veterans, which also hosted a ruck event to celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year on July 4, says the event will take place rain or shine.
Ceremony commemorates 25 years
Naperville has hosted an annual remembrance event every year since the Sept. 11 attacks. Since the dedication of the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial in 2003, the event always has taken place there, along the Riverwalk behind city hall at 400 S. Eagle St.
The event will begin with musical selections by the Naperville Municipal Band at 4:45 p.m., with the ceremony to start 15 minutes later.
Retired Marine Maj. Charles Lynn Lowder will be this year’s keynote speaker. Lowder is a longtime Naperville resident, co-founder and CEO of the Veteran Business Project and a motivational speaker. Lowder is also one of the owners of Rosie’s Home Cookin’ in Naperville, which donates all profits to the Veteran Business Project to help veterans and their families.
The city hosts a yearly remembrance ceremony “to observe this significant moment in America’s 250-year history and commemorate the lives lost on 9/11, their families, the first responders and survivors,” officials said in a news release. All are welcome to attend.
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