On September 11, 2001, financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees in the attack on the World Trade Center. Manorhaven Mayor Jim Avena had previously served as president of the firm, and said he knew and had hired many of the people who perished in the attack.
“Because of my experiences, I thought it was a good thing to (hold an observance),” Avena said. “It’s a good thing for everyone.”
The Village of Manorhaven will commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a ceremony on Monday at 10 a.m. at Village Hall.
“It’s a nice event,” village Clerk Sharon Natalie Abramski said. “We have a lot of the village and state and county officials who join us in a moment of reflection.”
Manorhaven has hosted a 9/11 observance every year since 2012. If weather permits, the ceremony will be held at the 9/11 Memorial walkway outside of Village Hall.
The ceremony will consist of a rifle salute and a benediction. “Taps” will be played and Abramski said there will also be bagpipers.
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, New York State Senator Elaine Phillips, Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso and County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton will all give remarks.
Port Washington Fire Department Chief Bryan Vogeley and Port Washington Police Assistant Chief Jeffrey Morris will also take part in the ceremony, along with members of their departments.
The other four villages in Port Washington will not be hosting their own Sept. 11 observances, with some officials from these villages choosing instead to attend the Town of North Hempstead’s observance in Manhasset.
“[Our observance] ends up being pretty big, but it is not as big as North Hempstead’s,” Abramski said.
Commemorating 9/11 has always been important for the village of Manorhaven. The 9/11 Memorial walkway, where the ceremony is being held, was dedicated in 2012. The following year the town received a 100-pound steel beam from the World Trade Center, which is permanently displayed in the Village Hall.