Where to Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 in Queens Saturday

Tribute in Light (Photo by Jesse Mills on Unsplash)

Sept. 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Saturday marks two decades since the collapse of the Twin Towers and the loss of 2,977 people on a day forever etched into New Yorkers’ memories.

Many organizations are hosting ceremonies and vigils to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and honor the lives lost that day.

Here’s where you can attend a ceremony in Queens Saturday.

9/11 Memorial Service at Tribute Park in Rockaway Park

Tribute Park, located on Beach Channel Drive between Beach 116th Street and Beach 117th Street, at 8:30 a.m.

The Friends of Tribute Park is hosting its annual memorial service at the 9/11 beachfront memorial, which features a mosaic centerpiece and granite rock engraved with the names of all 343 firefighters who died on September 11.

The service includes a reading of the names of Rockaway residents who perished on 9/11, accompanied by a musical performance, bagpipes and the color guard. A rose will be placed on the memorial for each life lost.

More information can be found here.

Names of the 343 firefighters who died on September 11 etched on a rock at Tribute Park (NYC Parks Department)

9/11 Paddle Out and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Cross of Steel in Breezy Point

Cross of Steel Memorial, located on the beach at Rockaway Point Boulevard and Beach 218th Street, at 8:30 a.m.

Nonprofit AmpSurf is hosting its annual 9/11″Paddle Out” to honor those who lost their lives on that day — including 29 Breezy Point residents.

Paddle Outs are surfing’s most hallowed ritual in which surfers paddle out, float on their board and link arms to form a circle representing the way in which the ocean brings people together, according to the event page. The ritual is usually held to honor a fallen comrade.

Attendees can watch from ashore near the Cross of Steal — a cross formed from steel original to the Twin Towers — or participate in the paddle out if they have their own surfboard.

Commemorative AmpSurf 9/11 Paddle out t-shirts will be for sale online and at the event.

Participants can register for the event and submit a donation here. All proceeds will be donated to the local firefighter foundation.

Cross of Steel in Breezy Point (AmpSurf)

9/11 Memorial “Run for Richie” Motorcycle Parade in Ozone Park

Aqueduct Racetrack Parking Lot, located at 110-00 Rockaway Boulevard, at 11:30 a.m.

The sixth annual motorcycle parade is hosted by the NYC Punishers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps in remembrance of 9/11 victims and first responders. It is named for 18-year-old Richard Allen Pearlman, a member of the Forest Hills Ambulance Corps and the youngest first responder to die in the 9/11 attacks.

A remembrance ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. and motorcyclists will then drive from the Aqueduct into Manhattan to Ground Zero at 1 p.m. with a police escort. Emergency vehicles are also invited to participate at no charge.

Participants can register and purchase tickets for the ride here. Day-of registration begins at the starting site at 8 a.m. The first 411 registered participants will receive a commemorative coin, representing the number of first responders who died on Sept. 11, 2021.

All proceeds benefit the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Richard Allen Pearlman (left) pictured helping a victim on 9/11/01 in a photo in Newsweek (Run for Richie)

9/11 National Day of Service at Astoria Park in Astoria

Track Field House in Astoria Park, located by Astoria Park South and Shore Boulevard, at 12 p.m.

The Astoria Park Alliance is asking volunteers to join in a day of service Saturday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

Volunteers will add more plantings to the Southeast corner of the park, pick up litter around the new playground and do other tasks that benefit local park-goers and pay tribute to 9/11’s fallen heroes. There will also be community-themed wellness activities, according to the event page.

Volunteers should meet a the Track Field House, on the tennis court side of Astoria Park, shortly before noon. They should wear face masks, work clothes and closed-toe shoes and are recommended to wear sunscreen and bug spray. Tools and gloves will be provided.

More information can be found here.

Volunteers at previous planting and clean-up day of service (Astoria Park Alliance)

9/11 Memorial Service at St. Michael’s Cemetery in East Elmhurst

St. Michael’s Cemetery, located at 72-02 Astoria Blvd., at 3 p.m.

St. Michael’s Cemetery is hosting a memorial service to remember the first responders of 9/11 and those who perished in the attacks.

The cemetery hosts an annual memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, but will also commemorate the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have died from COVID-19 as well this year.

Brass22, a brass quintet band based at The Juilliard School, will provide music for the ceremony.

More information can be found here.

9/11 Wall of Remembrance in St. Michael’s Cemetery (St. Michael’s Cemetery)

9/11 Candlelight Vigil at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village

9/11 Memorial Garden in Juniper Valley Park, located by 78th Street between Juniper Boulevard North and Juniper Boulevard South, at 7 p.m.

The annual candlelight vigil will honor those who died on 9/11 in a service held under the flagpole at the 9/11 Memorial Garden in Juniper Valley Park. The vigil will include speeches, music and poems. It also features a view of the Tribute in Light, the two light beams shined from the original location of the Twin Towers in Manhattan.

Attendees are asked to bring a candle, lawn chair, face mask and American flag.

More information can be found here.

A past candlelight vigil at Juniper Valley Park (9/11 Candlelight Vigil Committee of Queens)

Bayside Civic Association 9/11 Ceremony in Bayside

Bayside Hills September 11th Memorial Garden, located on the northern corner of Horace Harding Expressway and Bell Boulevard; at 7 p.m.

The Bayside Civic Association is hosting a candlelight ceremony in the neighborhood’s 9/11 memorial garden to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Candles will be placed in the garden in memory of those who died in the attacks. Attendees should bring their own candles, which should be enclosed in glass.

The organizers are also asking that participants wear masks and practice social distancing.

More information can be found here.

Bayside Hills September 11th Memorial Garden (Google Maps)

September 11th Memorial at the Vander Ende – Onderdonk House in Ridgewood

The Vander Ende – Onderdonk House, located at 1820 Flushing Ave., at 7:30 p.m.

The organizers of Vander Ende – Onderdonk House will be lighting the historic house and museum in blue to honor those lost on 9/11. An outdoor reception will precede the lighting and attendees are invited to walk to the top of the hill and view the Manhattan skyline with the Tribute in Light beaming.

The house will be lit from sundown to 10 p.m. All donations received will be sent to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Those who plan to attend the memorial reception should RSVP by emailing RidgewoodHistoricalSociety@gmail.com.

More information can be found here.