By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The city will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on 9/11 with a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Bradley Point Park.
The solemn service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and a flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.
City officials, including Mayor Dorinda Borer, Police Chief Joseph S. Perno and Fire Chief James P. O’Brien, will deliver remarks, and Councilman David Beaton, D-9, will serve as the master of ceremonies.
West Haven Rotary Club members will hand out programs.
The ceremony will include the Pledge of Allegiance led by St. Lawrence School students, “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by Grace Kelly Nowak and a remembrance prayer given by Vertical Church Senior Pastor Ken Vance.
It will also include performances by Sweeter Than Wine, including a musical tribute in memory of longtime 9/11 musician Liz McNicholl, who died July 11.
McNicholl, a singer-songwriter, had been known since 2003 for her Irish folk performances at the city’s 9/11 commemorations, most notably her moving cover of Tom Paxton’s 2002 song “The Bravest,” a tribute to the New York City firefighters who gave their lives rescuing others on Sept. 11, 2001.
Other performances will include “Amazing Grace” by the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums and taps by bugler Art Gilbert.
West Haven’s annual 9/11 rites will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks.
Richard S. Gabrielle, 50, of West Haven, was killed during the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., he was last seen on the south tower’s 78th floor.
Declared Patriot Day by Congress in 2002, West Haven will fly flags at half-staff in recognition of the national day of remembrance.