RIVERSIDE – Cities throughout western Riverside County this week will mark the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with patriotic concerts, moments of silence, documentaries and flag ceremonies.
On Wednesday, Riverside will debut the 105-minute documentary “9/11: One City Remembers,” featuring archival video, photographs shown publicly for the first time and interviews with members of Riverside County Urban Search & Rescue Task Force 6.
The task force firefighters, mostly from Riverside, spent 11 days at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse.
Producer Tim Roche called the documentary, “one of the most in-depth peeks yet inside the private world of the US&R team community and how they operate” and “a truly revealing look behind the scenes as a 60-member team faced with stark realities and painful visages is still buoyed by a grateful people throughout.”
The film will premiere at 8 p.m. Wednesday via www.WatchRiverside.com, as well as local cable stations.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, a rededication ceremony is scheduled at Hemet Fire Station No. 1 on North Juanita Street, where the fire department’s 9/11 mural was recently given a facelift after 17 years of taking a beating by the weather and California sun.
Students from Mt. San Jacinto College took on the rehabilitation project, with assistance from the Hemet Rotary.
The fire chief and other city officials are slated to be on hand.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, multiple events are planned, the earliest at 5:40 a.m. in Murrieta, where the city will host a brief service themed “We Will Never Forget,” with remarks by municipal representatives and others at Town Square Park.
The same venue will feature a patriotic concert by the Temecula Valley Symphony at 6 p.m.
In Corona, at 8 a.m. Saturday, elected officials, including Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel, will join public safety personnel and residents for moments of reflection against a backdrop of 2,977 American flags — each one representing a life lost as a result of the terrorist attacks –placed around the Corona Historic Civic Center on West Sixth Street.
At 4 p.m. in Temecula, a 9/11 remembrance service will be held at the Duck Pond, adjacent to the Veterans Memorial.
Throughout the day Saturday, neighborhood cleanups and donation drives are planned in Riverside as part of the city’s annual “Day of Service” that was inspired by the recovery efforts in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Officials said volunteers will help with the removal of litter, graffiti, and items stuck to utility poles, as well as to pile up fallen palm fronds, which can turn into fuel for fires.
The American Red Cross will be hosting a blood drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at 6235 Rivercrest Drive.
Lifestream Blood Bank is conducting donation drives all week. More information is available at www.lstream.org/upcomingmobiles.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.
CNS-09-07-2021 17:31
