Indianapolis marks 9/11 with parade, service project, walk, stair climb, ceremonies

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Firefighters, police officers and emergency medicine professionals from across Indiana will gather in downtown Indianapolis on Friday to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Other Indianapolis-area observances will include a memorial walk at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a service project at Butler University, a commemoration at the FBI Indianapolis offices, a Patriot Day ceremony at Indianapolis International Airport, and a Hamilton County event at the fairgrounds in Noblesville.

The downtown Indianapolis 25th anniversary commemorations will include a parade and a memorial ceremony to recognize the 343 firefighters from the Fire Department of the City of New York who died in the line of duty and the local responders who aided in the recovery.

The 9/11 Memorial Parade will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Local 416, 748 Massachusetts Ave. The 1.7-mile march will travel to New Jersey Street, head south to Ohio Street and then move west to the Indiana 9/11 Memorial at 439 W. Ohio St.

Organizers asked the public to find a spot along the route to watch the procession.

A short ceremony will happen at noon Friday at the Indiana 9/11 Memorial. The event will pay special tribute to the members of Indiana Task Force 1 who responded to Ground Zero, including those who have died in the yearslong aftermath.

The Indiana War Memorials Foundation’s Indiana 9/11 Memorial features two 11,000-pound steel beams from the Twin Towers, a bronze bald eagle sculpture, and granite remembrance walls.

The ceremony will also recognize active and retired task force members who continue the legacy of the response.

Indianapolis and surrounding communities will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with memorials, service projects and ceremonies Friday.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The day will begin early at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Doors open at 8 a.m. Friday for a Walk of Remembrance. Remarks will start at 8:46 a.m. Friday at the speedway, marking the moment the first tower was hit. The walk begins at 9:03 a.m. Friday, the time the second tower was struck.

Participants will walk a route reflecting the 2,071 steps in each World Trade Center tower. After the walk, teams and leaders from the Indiana Sports Corp will host a reception to raise money for agencies that support local first responders.

Butler University Service Project

Volunteers will gather for a massive service project at Butler University. More than 600 people will join at 9 a.m. Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse to pack more than 185,000 meals.

The nonprofit 9/11 Day organized the Honor Through Action movement to help local families at risk of hunger. All packed meals will go to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Inc. This effort is part of a nationwide project expected to mobilize 50,000 volunteers to pack more than 17 million meals, as food insecurity affects a significant percentage of the population.

FBI Indianapolis Commemoration

The FBI Indianapolis field office will hold commemorations throughout the day. An opening ceremony will start at 9 a.m. Friday at the flagpoles in front of the FBI Indianapolis building to honor those who died and the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The office is at 8825 Nelson B. Klein Parkway, located on the city’s northeast side near Castleton Square mall.

At 10 a.m. Friday at the office, employees will participate in a memorial stair climb. Participants will complete 15 climbs to represent the floors of the World Trade Center towers.

Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley will speak about how the attacks changed the bureau’s mission and inspired many to serve in public safety.

The day will end with a ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday at the building to honor survivors and first responders.

Indianapolis International Airport

At the Indianapolis International Airport, the public can view a piece of World Trade Center steel recovered from Ground Zero. The steel will be displayed in Civic Plaza throughout the week.

The airport’s Patriot Day ceremony will begin at 8:40 a.m. Friday in Civic Plaza. The Indianapolis Airport Authority fire and police departments, along with Transportation Security Administration officials, will present an honor guard and hold a wreath-laying ceremony. Ben Davis High School’s Purple Aires concert choir will provide music, and the Indianapolis Public Library will help collect community stories.

Hamilton County and Noblesville memorial

In Hamilton County, local leaders will hold a joint memorial at 11 a.m. Friday at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St. in Noblesville.

Hamilton County Commissioners President Christine Altman and Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, both Republicans, will lead the ceremony at the Silos building.

A joint honor guard from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the Noblesville police and fire departments will present the colors.

“Twenty-five years have passed, but the responsibility to remember has not,” Altman said. “We owe it to those who lost their lives, to the families who still carry that loss, and to the first responders who ran toward unimaginable danger to make sure their courage and sacrifice are never forgotten.”

Jensen said the spirit of unity after 9/11 remains relevant today, especially as the community deals with recent local challenges.

“September 11 reminds us how Americans came together in the face of tragedy,” Jensen said. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen that same spirit here at home as our community has responded to historic flooding.”

Other Indianapolis-area events

• Brownsburg: 4:30 p.m., Arbuckle Commons, 7249 Arbuckle Commons. Members of the Brownsburg Fire Territory will have a reading of the names. A formal tribute will begin at 6:30 p.m.
• Carmel: 8:30-9:30 a.m., 400 block of American Way North.
• Franklin: 8 a.m., Franklin Police Department headquarters, 900 Columbia Ave.
• Greenfield: Hometown Heroes event, 5-10 p.m. on North Street between State and Pennsylvania streets and the north end of the Living Alley, 110 N. State St.
• Martinsville: 8:40 a.m., front lawn of the Martinsville Fire Department headquarters, 160 W. Morgan St.

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