VANCEBURG — Surrounding communities fulfill the phrase “never forget” by remembering the lives lost during the Sept. 11 attacks 18 years later.
A “Patriot Day” celebration will be held on the third floor courtroom of the Lewis County Court House Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Judge-Executive Todd Ruckel said the event, like it has been for years, is hosted by Woodmen Life.
The event will begin with a breakfast at 8 a.m., which is open for the public to attend, and is followed by a ceremony honoring and recognizing first responders. Kentucky State Rep. Rocky Adkins will be the guest speaker at the ceremony.
Also involved in the ceremony are the Lewis County High School JROTC and band.
“JROTC will do the posting of the colors, the band will do ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ and the National Anthem and then we’ll have a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., which is when the first plane flew into the World Trade Center,” Ruckel said.
To Ruckel, having a ceremony like this keeps the memory of what happened on Sept. 11 alive not only in the hearts and minds of those who witnessed the tragedy but especially in those who could not witness it.
“We’ve over the last couple of years have tried to involve our high school kids because all of our high school kids now, none of them were even alive during this attack on the United States,” he said. “So we want to do our part in remembering those who were injured or lost their life. Of the 3,000 people who were killed that day, more than 440 of them were first responders, so we want to remember those that were injured or lost their lives — to recognize our first responders. So it’s really important that the history of this, that we keep it at the forefront so that we never want to forget that day.”
In Fleming County, a 9/11 Appreciation Dinner, hosted by the Fleming County Chamber of Commerce and Fleming County Museum Society, will be held at the Flemingsburg Fire Department at 6 p.m.
At the ceremony, members of all first responders will be honored; which will include all fire fighters, all branches of law enforcement, dispatch, the emergency management director, EMS and medical air flight.
The dinner will last until 6:45 p.m. where the evening will then be opened up to the public at 7 p.m. so they can enjoy a short program. A moment of silence will be held in remembrance of those who perished on 9/11
Following the silence will be a flag raising and the Pledge of Allegiance by the Cub Scouts, and then a musical selection from the Fleming County High School’s choir and band will be performed.
While the program is open to the public, the dinner itself is invite only, with the deadline to RSVP having already passed.
