NORTH PORT – The City of North Port will hold a virtual 9/11 remembrance this year.
“Every year since 9/11 the city has fulfilled that promise of always remembering and never forgetting,” said City of North Port PIO, Josh Taylor.
Typically, The City of North Port holds a ceremony with the honor guard with speeches and moments of silence remembering and paying respect to those who lost their lives on 9/11.
This year the event will be entirely virtual and be broadcasted on social media.
“Obviously there is a lot of concern with bringing large groups of people together so what we’re doing is trying to provide it through social media so that people can view it without having to take those risks,” said Taylor.
Taylor says the Mayor, Police, and Fire Chiefs will speak at the ceremony
“We’ll do some ceremonial type ringing of the bells at certain times; we’ll raise and lower the flag. Just a very simple, respectful service,” said Taylor.
A piece of the tower, which was donated to the City of North Port, will be on display in front of city hall
“It’s a very tangible thing, you can see that steal and how it was bent and just the destruction that was done on that day it does hit home for people when you see it,” said Taylor.
Taylor says it’s important for the younger generations to remember the significance of 9/11
“It’s easy for us as adults, we’re not going to forget, most of us know exactly where we were when we found out but there’s a whole generation who don’t do these types of things, who might actually forget,” said Taylor.
North Port is not the only City changing its plans, the annual 9/11 memorial ceremony at Patriots Park in Venice has been canceled due to social distancing protocols.
The virtual Patriot’s Day ceremony will be broadcasted from 9 to 10 AM on Friday on the City of North Ports Facebook page.
