Long Island Remembers: 9/11 Drone Show and 25th Anniversary Events Unfold

Long Island and the nation are preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the devastating September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center with a series of profound commemorative events. Across Nassau and Suffolk counties, gatherings, memorials, prayer services, art exhibits, and films will honor the lives lost, recount the heroism of first responders who answered the call, and remember those who have tragically succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses.

A significant event kicking off the commemorations is a "special evening of remembrance" on Thursday, September 10, hosted by the Embassy Diner in Bethpage. This event will feature a spectacular drone show with 1,000 drones illuminating the night sky as a tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11. Scheduled between 7 and 8 p.m. outside the diner at 4280 Hempstead Turnpike, this event, supported by Nassau County, the Town of Oyster Bay, and the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, drew thousands last year. Embassy Diner owner Gus Tsiorvas emphasized that the night is about more than just the visual spectacle, but about ensuring this generation never forgets the people lost and the first responders honored. Free shuttle buses will operate from Ellsworth W. Allen Park and Bethpage Community Park starting at 6 p.m. to facilitate attendance.

Also on September 10, additional events include a Remembrance Ceremony at the Long Beach Pavilion in St. James at 6:30 p.m., featuring an interfaith ceremony, wreath laying, and tributes to those affected by 9/11-related illnesses. Huntington's 9/11 Memorial at Heckscher Park will host a Commemorative Service at 5 p.m., with a reading of local victims' names, a 21-gun salute, rose laying, and a moment of silence for rescue workers and civilians who died from related illnesses. The Great Neck Library – Station Branch will screen the documentary “Eyewitness to 9/11: Behind the Lens” at 1 p.m., while Eisenhower Park in East Meadow will hold a Remembrance and Reading of Names Ceremony at 6 p.m.

September 11 itself will be a full day of remembrance. At Towers of Freedom in John J. Burns Park, Massapequa, the 9/11 Day of Remembrance begins at 8:30 a.m. with prayer and wreath placement, followed by ceremonial bell ringings at 8:46 a.m. (North Tower) and 9:03 a.m. (South Tower), guest speakers, a helicopter flyover, musical performances, and a sunset Mass at St. Rose of Lima at 6 p.m. The Town of North Hempstead will hold a memorial service assembly at Manhasset Valley Park at 8:15 a.m., open to all. Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson Harbor will host a 9/11 Memorial from 6-8 p.m., co-hosted by the Vigiano Brothers Lodge and Capt. Kathy Mazza Lodge, with a service presided over by Rev. Anthony Saliba and information about the documentary “9/11: An American Requiem.”

Other September 11 observances include a 9/11 Memorial Service at Veterans Memorial Park, Islip Town Hall, at 5 p.m., reading names of lost residents with bell ringing. The Town of Hempstead Beachside 9/11 Memorial at Town Park, Point Lookout, features a sunrise service at 7:30 a.m., patriotic flag arches, color guard, bagpipers, and a performance by the Gregorian Consortium. Remarks will be delivered by Rev. Michael Duffy and other guests, with a keynote from Dorine Hetzel-Dand, who lost her husband to a 9/11-related illness and her brother in the attacks. The ceremony concludes with white carnations cast into the Atlantic Ocean and messages on a Remembrance Wall. The Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City offers Vespers and an evening choral service at 6 p.m. A 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at Calverton 9/11 Memorial at 10 a.m. will honor lives lost and reflect on community resilience. The Westbury Memorial Public Library will host Jerry Raffa, a 9/11 survivor and retired federal agent, to discuss the day’s impact at 4 p.m.

The City of Long Beach will hold two memorial services: a moment of remembrance at the Virginia Avenue “Garden of Remembrance” and West Beech Street at 11 a.m., and a tribute by the Long Beach Fire Department at West Park Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard at 7 p.m., with names read, music, and a flag raising. Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip will observe a moment of silence before the Long Island Ducks game, with flags at half-staff and a plaza memorializing 400 Long Islanders with a World Trade Center steel beam. A 9/11 Memorial Mass will be held at Cemetery of the Holy Rood, Westbury, at 1 p.m. Additional ceremonies are planned for World Trade Center Memorial Park in Riverhead at 10 a.m., Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst at 11 a.m. (remembering seven community victims), Pratt Park in Glen Cove at 5:30 p.m., A.J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream at 6 p.m., and the St. James Volunteer Fire Department at 6 p.m., including a special service for Capt. Doug Oelschlager. A Walk for Peace will also commence at Lonelyville, Fire Island, at 8 a.m.

Beyond the immediate anniversary, events extend to September 12 with “A Day to Give Back” at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale and Calverton National Cemetery, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., encouraging participants to clean headstones and honor first responders through “Carry the Load” speakers. The 9/11 Heroes Run at Mill Dam Park, Huntington, at 9 a.m., offers a 5k or 1-mile run/walk to honor heroes and those who served in subsequent wars. From September 15 to October 15, Adelphi University's art gallery in Garden City will host Christopher Saucedo's sculpture exhibit “Requiem MMI,” focusing on the 9/11 attacks, with a reception on September 24.