Tampa Bay Area Observes Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

In observance of the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, area groups and residents will gather at various events scheduled throughout the Tampa Bay area.

The University of South Florida Tampa campus community will honor those who died and those who responded with a remembrance ceremony hosted by the Division of Student Affairs and Student Government on Friday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. in the Oval Theater in the Marshall Student Center.  Special guest and former U.S. Representative Jim Davis, who was serving in Congress in 2001, will be the featured speaker, in addition to USF System President Judy Genshaft.  The general public is welcomed to attend.

The public is invited Friday, Sept. 9, to attend a World Trade Center Artifact Installation at Patriots Corner on Bayshore and Bay to Bay Boulevard. Mayor Bob Buckhorn and other community leaders will attend the 4:30 p.m. event.

Hillsborough County will hold a 9/11 Ceremony of Remembrance on Friday, Sept. 9 at noon in Joe Chillura Courthouse Square in downtown Tampa. The 9/11 ceremony will feature the laying of wreaths on a Trade Center beam for those to honor fire rescue, law enforcement, victims/survivors of 9/11, the Armed Forces and the nation’s Fallen Heroes. The United States Air Force will perform a fly-over, and an Honor Guard will surround the beam. Speakers will include Florida Governor Rick Scott and Admiral Bill H. McRaven, commander of United States Special Operations Command.

The American Victory Ship Mariners Museum in the Channel District will host an event on Sunday, Sept. 11th from 8 to 8:45 a.m. A fire truck carrying a 9/11 flag that was flown over Ground Zero in 2010 - as well as a POW flag - will be hoisted on the ship's dock. Aboard the ship the Naval Sea Cadets will present colors, and a member of the Navy League will perform the National Anthem. A memorial wreath will be laid to rest as the MacDill Air Force Base Rifle Team fires ten rounds in observance of the anniversary. Speakers will include representatives from the Tampa Firefighters, Tampa Police Department, MacDill Air Force Base and the American Victory Ship. The free event is open to the public.

Following the Victory Ship's observance, the Tampa Firefighters Museum will host a memorial dedication at 9 a.m. Information will be presented on a memorial (unveiled in 2012) named in honor of the first responders who sacrificed so much on 9/11. Speakers include city officials, dignitaries and Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Sept. 11 also marks the Centennial celebration of Tampa Fire Station 1, home of the Firefighters Museum. The historic museum will be rededicated along with a public art banner.  

Voices United for Peace will present poetry readings, drama presentations and music at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts. The free event is designed to promote world peace and to remember those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks. Attendees are asked to bring a candle for the closing ceremony and a three-foot piece of ribbon to help weave the "Tapestry for Peace."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays will also commemorate the attacks during their home games Sunday: The Rays play the Boston Red Sox at 1:40 p.m. at Tropicana Field. The first 10,000 kids 14 and younger will get a free Rays fire helmet. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Detroit Lions at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium. The Glazer Family Foundation and Support the Troops Inc. will hold a military supply drive from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. outside the stadium. Fans are asked to consider bringing coffee, hygiene items, nonperishable food and new or slightly used CDs or DVDs to donate to U.S. troops serving abroad.

If You Go: 

Joe Chillura Courthouse Square is at the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and Pierce Street. The American Victory Ship is at 705 Channelside Drive The Tampa Firefighters Museum is 720 Zack St. The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place in downtown Tampa. Tropicana Field is at 1 Tropicana Drive in St Petersburg. Raymond James Stadium is at 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway.