From the Dundalk Eagle at www.dundalkeagle.com
Collection for troops precedes annual event
by Heather Perlberg
The annual Sept. 11 event – canceled last year on account of bad weather – will return Friday evening to the gazebo in Heritage Park.
The commemorative ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. and include a prayer service, a presentation by honor guards and patriotic music. A candlelight vigil will be held at dusk.
A collection of items for overseas troops will take place in the afternoon preceding the event.
“We’ve had the memorial service every year since 9/11,” event coordinator Don Kellner said. “I just think we’ve got to keep a hold for us and our kids. 9/11 is a day we should always remember.”
Performers including Joe Dicara, the Star-Spangled Chorus of Dundalk, the Sparrows Point High School orchestral group and Calvin and Malvilyn Statham will sing and play patriotic and spiritual tunes throughout the evening.
Patapsco High School’s Junior ROTC, the World War II Veterans of Dundalk and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 451 have been selected as the program’s honor guards, according to Patricia Herman, a member of the 9/11 event committee.
Memorabilia such as newspaper clippings and a large girder from the World Trade Center will be on display.
Kellner obtained the girder by writing a letter to the mayor of New York after the tragedy and asking if there was anything the community could get for a 9/11 tribute. Twelve remnants of the building were given out, this one shipped UPS from New York to Dundalk, according to Kellner.
“When people touch it, it is moving,” said Kellner of the girder, which weighs about 500 pounds.
From 3 to 7 p.m,, members of the Dundalk Heritage Parade Committee will be in the park collecting nonperishable, pre-packaged food items to be sent to troops overseas. No homemade, glass or aero-sol items will be accepted. The National Guard has asked for 2010 calendars, as well, Kellner said.
Bring a chair or blanket and a candle and flag. For more information or a full list of items acceptable for donation, call Donald Kellner at 410-285-5020.
