Pandemic prompts shortened Sept. 11 program at Flight 93 National Memorial

The annual Sept. 11 observance at Somerset County’s Flight 93 National Memorial will be abbreviated this year as park officials look to limit in-person attendance at the event because of covid-19 guidelines.

The event will be shown virtually, as will other programs sponsored by the memorial Friends group.

In past years, the 90-minute ceremony has been attended by about 1,000 people. Without guest speakers and live music, this year’s planned 20-minute “Moment of Remembrance” will begin at 9:45 a.m. at the site’s Memorial Plaza.

It will lead up to the time, at 10:03 a.m., when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed 19 years earlier in a nearby field, thwarting a planned terror attack by the plane’s hijackers.

The event will focus on reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew aboard the plane along with ringing of the Bells of Remembrance. It will be streamed live via EarthCam.

“By modifying the observance, we are able to honor the passengers and crew members, but also make the health and safety of visitors, staff and volunteers a priority,” park Superintendent Stephen M. Clark said in a statement.

Leading up to the event, the park will post information and videos about the 40 people honored at the memorial on its social media platforms.

People may attend the Sept. 11 ceremony in person, but there will be limited parking. Attendees may have to walk more than a mile to the plaza, as shuttle transportation won’t be available.

“We are asking everyone to comply with CDC guidelines,” wearing face coverings and maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others, said Katherine Cordek, National Park Service spokesperson at the memorial in Stonycreek Township.

To accommodate those attending the observance, the park’s visitor center will open early, at 8 a.m., and will remain open until 7 p.m. Visitors may have to wait to enter the building so the park staff can maintain social distancing.

The staff will be “watching how many people are gathering at a particular exhibit,” Cordek said. “We’ve had to shut some of the exhibits down because of overcrowding in the past few weeks.”

Though it hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, “visitation is definitely increasing,” she said.

The park reopened on May 15, after being closed for 59 days during the early stages of Pennsylvania’s pandemic-related restrictions.

The pandemic caused the Friends of Flight 93 Memorial group to postpone a spring tree-planting at the park until next year.

The group has resumed its free Speaker Series, showcasing those with connections to the Sept. 11 crash and its aftermath, but has moved the presentations to a virtual format.

A July 23 program featured Flight 93 Family members Ed Root and Emily Schenkel in a discussion of their loved one, United Airlines flight attendant Lorraine G. Bay. The next speaker, scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 20, will be Tony James, Federal Aviation Administration air safety investigator who was in charge at the crash site.

Visit flight93friends.org and click on “Programs & Events” to view past presentations and register for upcoming ones.

The group has scheduled its annual memorial walk, meant to raise funds as well as awareness of the site’s significance, for Oct. 10, but the format of the event will depend on the status of the pandemic, according to program director Brooke Neel.

”The walk usually is at the memorial, but we are developing contingency plans if we have to shift to a virtual walk,” she said.