Community Corner
2,973 Candles Lit In Remembrance of 9/11 Victims
A candlelight vigil was held Saturday at the Garden of Reflection to mark the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Organizers handed out 2,973 candles, one for each victim of the attacks.
Thousands of people lit candles and remembered the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Saturday evening.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks, organizers handed out 2,973 candles, one for each victim of the attacks.
The evening vigil also featured clergy and patriotic songs. Family members of those who died on Sept. 11 hung photos and placed flowers below where the victim's names were etched in glass.
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The Garden of Reflection was designed to be a place that honors the 18 Bucks County residents who were lost on Sept. 11 and Saturday's vigil was one of the many remembrance events, said Ellen Saracini.
Her husband, Victor Saracini, was the captain of one of the planes that was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center in 2001. "This memorial is here because we need to remember who we lost," said Saracini.
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Another ceremony to remember the victims will be held today beginning at 8:46 a.m., the time of the first plane hit the tower, according to vigil organizer Sharon Sein.
The site, which is the state's official Sept. 11 memorial, also features a field of 2,973 American flags. The flags were installed by school children from William Penn Middle School, said Ally Sague, one of the vigil's organizers.
Sein said the idea for the vigil came from Skip Gittens, a Garden of Reflection volunteer and Newtown resident. "It's the first official candlelight vigil to celebrate the lives that were lost," Sein said.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be part of this event," Sein said.
