Hilliard's First Responders Park, a local monument with national significance, is scheduled to be rededicated this coming Sept. 11. The public is extended an invitation to join the ceremony, which marks a solemn remembrance of those who have fallen in the line of duty. According to an announcement by the City of Hilliard, the rededication will commence at 9 a.m. at Hilliard's Station Park, located just across from the park at 4021 Main St., taking advantage of the community's built-in amphitheater.
The park, situated at the heart of Downtown Hilliard on the corner of Center and Main streets, holds artifacts from 9/11, including a segment of subway rail and contorted steel beams from the World Trade Center. The significance of this space is not lost on the community, for whom it serves as a locus for mourning, reflection, and remembrance. Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel is slated to give the keynote address at the upcoming rededication.
Hilliard's Chief of Police Michael Woods, Norwich Township Fire Battalion Chief Heith Good, and former State Sen. Stephanie Kunze are also set to make remarks. Ensuring a moving tribute, students from Hilliard Darby High School Polyphonix Choir will present the National Anthem, while the Norwich Township Bagpipe Band will provide a musical prelude to the event.
The ceremony is expected to close with a wreath laying at the park by the joint Hilliard Police-Norwich Fire Honor Guard. As reported by the City of Hilliard, the event will pause at specific times — 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m., 9:37 a.m., and 10:07 a.m. — in a ceremonial ringing of the bell, marking the moments of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
The event is not only a remembrance but also an opportunity for members of the Hilliard community and beyond to come together in honor of those who risk their lives every day. The event is free and open to all who wish to pay their respects.
