9/11 Events Planned For Sunday

Across the region, the state and the nation on Sunday, ceremonies are being held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Ledyard Fair Opening Ceremony at 6 p.m. today will remember the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11  attacks of a decade ago. There will be a moment of silence, the Ledyard High School band will play the National Anthem and the Silver Dolphins from the U.S. Submarine Base will parade the colors.

Almost every community in Connecticut was affected by 9/11, whether it be the death of a resident in Washington, New York, or Pennsylvania; members of the community heading to New York to assist in rescue efforts, or a friend or relative enlisting in the service and heading to Iraq or Afghanistan.

We have all been touched by 9/11.

Here is a list of services and ceremonies being held locally Sunday.

LEDYARD

"Remembrance and Hope"

The Ledyard Congregational Church

9:30 a.m., Sunday

The Rev. Catriona Grant and member Carl Tjerandsen will share the pulpit for a special 9/11 worship service, "Remembrance and Hope." Grant spent time ministering at Ground Zero in the days after the attacks, and Tjerandsen was in lower Manhattan with his son on the morning of 9/11. They will share their thoughts and reflections.

Gales Ferry Fire Department

12 p.m. noon, Sunday

There will be a memorial service at the Gales Ferry Fire Departement on Sunday, Sept. 11, beginning at noon.

MYSTIC

Mystic Fire Department Memorial Service

9:15 a.m., Sunday

B.F. Hoxie Fire House

Members of the Mystic Fire Department and the public are invited to gather at 9:15 a.m. for a memorial ceremony that will include the reading of names of the 343 New York firefighters and paramedics who died and moments of silence at 9:59 a.m., marking when the south tower collapsed and at 10:29 a.m., marking when the north tower collapsed.

MONTVILLE

A ceremony will take place at 8:30 Sunday morning, at the veterans' memorials outside of Town Hall. "Taps" will be played, bells will toll, there will be a benediction and, at 8:46, a moment of silence.

STONINGTON

9/11 Tenth Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony

7 p.m., Sunday, Palmer Field at Stonington High School

The town-wide memorial ceremony on Sunday comes after a week of remembrance at Stonington High School. Teachers Ann Marie Houle and Pat McCarney organized the week of events to pay respect to those people who lost their lives, acknowledge the service of the military and first responders and to keep Joshua Piver’s (Class of 1996) memory alive at Stonington High School.

WATERFORD/NEW LONDON

Benefit softball game

11 a.m., Sunday, Veterans Field in Waterford

This is the ninth year the unions of the New London Police Department and New London Fire Department will face off in a softball game to raise funds for the Juliana Valentine McCourt Children's Education Fund. The fund is named for a four-year-old girl from New London who died, along with her mother Ruth McCourt, aboard the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center.

NEW LONDON

Community Garden Dedication

1 p.m., Sunday, 51 Mountain Ave., New London

The New London Homeless Hospitality Center is dedicating a community garden at 51 Mountain Ave., a transitional residence for homeless residents. The garden was planted by the Eastern Connecticut Community Garden Association, and the dedication will honor those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and those who served and continue to serve in the military.

McCourt Memorial Garden ceremony

1:30 p.m., Lyman Allyn Art Museum, Williams St., New London

A commemorative event will take place at the McCourt Memorial Garden at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum. The event will include opening and closing prayers by a priest and rabbi, a dedication of a plaque to donors who helped start the garden, and a performance by the Coast Guard Band.

United In Peace – Healing With Hope

4 p.m., Sunday, Congregation Beth El

A panel discussion on lessons learned since the Sept. 11 attacks will feature David McCourt, Ruth McCourt's husband and Juliana McCourt's father; Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; Bishop Benjamin K. Watts, minister of Shiloh Baptist Church; and Rev. Carolyn Patierno, minister of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Rev. Dr. Paul Hayes of the Noank Baptist Church will moderate the discussion. The service will also include prayers and music from local youth choirs.