With this September 11th, 2021 marking 20 years since that fateful day, sealed in American history and in our memories, there are events happening everywhere in memory of the lives lost.

In Jackson, Cascades Falls Park is hosting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and their memorial light show.

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About Tunnel to Towers Foundation

According to their website, Tunnel to Towers says their mission is to "honor[s] the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001."

Siller, as Tunnel to Towers shares his story, was a firefighter with Brooklyn’s Squad 1 and had just finished his shift on September 11th, 2001, when he heard of a plane hitting the World Trade Center's North Tower.

He returned to his squad, grabbed his gear and when he got to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was already closed off for security.

"Determined to carry out his duty, he strapped 60 lbs. of gear to his back, and raced on foot through the tunnel to the Twin Towers," Tunnel to Towers shares. "Where he gave up his life while saving others.

Tunnel to Towers: Events/Causes Around the Country

Now, to honor Siller as well as our military and first responders "who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country", Tunnel to Towers Foundation hosts events around the country.

There's the "Never Forget Walk", the "9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit", their National Run, Walk & Climb Series and more (CLICK HERE).

The National Run, Walk & Climb Series actually found its way to a few Michigan spots like Jackson on May 15th, 2021 (CLICK HERE for MLive coverage) and Alpena where it will be taking place on Saturday, September 11th.

Tunnel to Towers also has multiple programs as well as other ways to get involved in their cause on their website.

9/11 Memorial Light Show - Cascades Falls Park in Jackson

Starting at 8 PM, there will be a light show memorial where the iconic Cascades Falls will be lit up in red, white and blue while patriotic music plays throughout the night.

However, the lights are not all that are happening. According to MLive, there will also be a memorial tent where visitors can go to reflect and mourn.

As usual, you will be able to walk up and down the stairs of the falls where it will carry a bit more meaning on this night as MLive reports this will be done in memory of what those who lost their lives and those who tried to save them did to get out of the towers that day.

In addition to the walk up the falls, Jan Ganzel, Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety officer and director of the memorial event tells MLive, photos of fallen first responders will be at the top of the stairs. Visitors will then be encouraged to grab one of the photos and bring it back down the steps.

“In honor of the events of 9/11 and what our first responders did, we’re inviting people to do this climb in their memory,” Ganzel told MLive. “This is our way to bring them home.”

According to MLive, there will be a $5 fee for admission, though, military and first-responders will be able to get in for free.

See 20 Ways America Has Changed Since 9/11

For those of us who lived through 9/11, the day’s events will forever be emblazoned on our consciousnesses, a terrible tragedy we can’t, and won’t, forget. Now, two decades on, Stacker reflects back on the events of 9/11 and many of the ways the world has changed since then. Using information from news reports, government sources, and research centers, this is a list of 20 aspects of American life that were forever altered by the events of that day. From language to air travel to our handling of immigration and foreign policy, read on to see just how much life in the United States was affected by 9/11.

 

 

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