Events commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th attacks on our country.

The Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial board invites you to its annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Monday at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the War on Terror site in College Station’s Veterans Park and Athletic Complex. Admission is free.

W. Nim Kidd, a member of the original Texas Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team, is the keynote speaker. Kidd was the Plans Section Chief for the team that responded to the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 and now serves as the Texas Division of Emergency Management chief. He’s also the Vice Chancellor for Disaster and Emergency Services for the Texas A&M University System.

The War on Terror site includes a steel relic from one of the World Trade Center towers and life-sized bronze statues representing a police officer, firefighter, and special operations soldier.

On Sunday, September 10th you can join The Ranch Harley-Davidson in College Station for its 8th Annual 9/11 Memorial Ride.

This ride is in remembrance of those who died on that tragic day, 22 years ago. The Ranch H-D will open at 12 p.m. with free drinks. Plan to arrive no later than 12:45 p.m. to get staged. (Please pay attention to parking attendants.) If you plan to ride with a group, please arrive together. Out of safety for guides and riders, no cars will be permitted to join the ride. If you are in a car, you are more than welcome to join everyone at The Ranch H-D before and hang out for the ride to return.

The guided ride will arrive back at The Ranch H-D where they will have $8 burger/hotdog food plates and free drinks. Food plate proceeds will go towards The Ranch’s Annual Toy Run.

Local first responders will do a 110-story stair climb to honor and remember the people who made the ultimate sacrifice. The climb will be held at both Kyle Field and the Lake Walk Tower.

The climb will start at 8:46 a.m, the time the North Tower was attacked in New York City. The event is hosted by the Bryan Firefighters Association.

If you want to participate in a climb and want to take a road trip, head to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Observation Tower in Austin on September 11th. You can climb once or as many times as you want.

At COTA, four times up and down the tower mimics the number of floors (110) in both Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and is $35.00. Climbs are from 8-10:00 a.m. The Tower is 25 stories up and has 419 stairs. Proceeds benefit the Samaritan Center. Samaritan Center’s Hope for Heroes program offers mental health services to veterans, military service members, first responders, their children and spouses and treats the whole person – mind, body, spirit and community.

Governor Greg Abbott will deliver the keynote address and present awards in honor of first responders at the 2023 Star Of Texas Awards on Monday, September 11 in Austin. Established in 2003 through House Bill 1937, the Star Of Texas Awards honor and commemorate individuals who made profound commitments while performing their duties as peace officers, firefighters, and emergency medical first responders.