Mobile 9/11 exhibit parades through Mt. Carmel bound for Elysburg event
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - The Stephen Siller 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit passes under a flag arch in downtown Mount Carmel on August 30, 2019.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]
MOUNT CARMEL, Northumberland County – Dozens lined Oak Street in Mount Carmel Friday afternoon as a mobile 9/11 exhibit, joined by fire apparatus from several counties, police officers, bikers, and Jeeps, paraded through, bound for an event in Elysburg this weekend.
The Stephen Siller 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit, operated by the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, will be displayed at this weekend’s All Home Days celebration in Ralpho Township.
“The Stephen Siller Never Forget Mobile Exhibit has never been in this part Pennsylvania before, making it a “must see” attraction to anyone within traveling distance to Elysburg,” said Overlook Fire Co. President Erik Santor in a media release. The fire company is one of a variety of groups responsible for bringing the exhibit to Elysburg, the others being the Ralpho Township Supervisors, All Home Days Committee, and Elysburg Fire Department.
Prior to its arrival in Elysburg, the Freightliner tractor trailer, adorned with a livery featuring an American flag and imagery related to 9/11, paraded through several counties escorted by a host of first responders and other interested parties.
The parade began at noon in Lewisburg, Union County, travelling through the northern Susquehanna Valley. From Lewisburg, it made its way through Shamokin Dam, Sunbury, Northumberland, Point Township, Danville, Bloomsburg, and Catawissa before heading for Mount Carmel.
There, at the corner of Oak and 4th streets, aerial apparatus from Mount Carmel’s Anthracite and Ashland’s Washington fire companies awaited with a flag arch above Oak Street, a part of the parade route.
At 2:45pm, the parade, led at this point by Mount Carmel Township and Borough Police, Coal Township Police and Pennsylvania State Police, reached the top of Oak Street.
Behind the police escort was a group of at least 25 bikers, followed by Mount Carmel fire apparatus. Other fire apparatus participating included Kulpmont, Natalie, Atlas, Upper Augusta, Elysburg, Trucksville, and Overlook.
After Mount Carmel, the parade made its way through Kulpmont and Shamokin before arriving at the All Home Days grounds in Elysburg, where the exhibit will be set up.
The over 1,000 square foot exhibit is free to attend and will be open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 1pm to 7pm each day.
“It is truly an honor to bring in this exhibit. Many youth today do not know what that day has meant and this will be a great way to show just what America went through. Our lives have changed due to this tragic day, and the exhibit will educate many,” said Harvey Boyer, President of the Elysburg Fire Department in a media release. “We are expecting thousands to come to the All Home Days celebration to see this free event. Much logistical planning has taken place just to have this large exhibit come into the picnic grounds. Having retired FDNY firefighters to be tour guides will be an honor.”
The exhibit was launched in 2013 by the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which is described as “a tribute to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.”
According to the media release, Siller, a firefighter with the FDNY’s Squad 1 in Brooklyn, was headed for a golf outing with his brothers on September 11, 2001 when he heard scanner reports of the first plane striking the towers. He called his wife to have her let his brother’s know he’d catch up later and headed back for Squad 1 to get his gear.
From there, he drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, and was unable to drive through — the tunnel was closed for security purposes — and instead, he strapped his gear, weighing 60lbs, and raced through the tunnel to the scene, where he gave his life in while saving others.
The exhibit has traveled the country since its inception, providing interactive education via documentary videos, recordings of radio transmissions and even steel beams from the towers. Guided tours are provided by FDNY firefighters who provide firsthand accounts of the day and its aftermath, according to the media release.
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