Remembering September 11: Park City Reflects and Remembers

Every September 11, communities across the country pause to remember.

We remember the lives lost. We remember the first responders who ran toward danger. We remember the families whose lives changed forever. And we remember the remarkable sense of compassion and unity that emerged in the days that followed.

Here in Park City, remembrance has taken on a particularly local expression. It can be found not only in formal ceremonies, but in a flag hanging from a historic barn, a moment of silence, students learning about a defining moment in American history, and neighbors choosing to serve their community.

September 11 is a day to remember what happened. It is also a day to consider what we do with the memory.

A Day That Changed America

On September 11, 2001, the United States experienced one of the most consequential days in modern American history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, including civilians, firefighters, police officers, military personnel, and other first responders.

For those who lived through that morning, the memories can still feel remarkably immediate.

For younger generations, September 11 is increasingly something they learn about through history books, classrooms, photographs, recordings, and the stories of parents, teachers, and grandparents.

That distinction makes remembrance especially important.

Memory changes with time, but the responsibility to remember does not.

A Park City Flag That Became a Symbol

One of the most poignant local stories connected to September 11 involves the McPolin Barn.

Shortly after the attacks, Park City Public Works employees Mike Lennon and Troy Daylay went out and purchased a large American flag. They then raised it on the face of the historic McPolin Barn.

According to a reflection published by the Park City Humanitarians, the flag had never previously been displayed on the barn in that way. The employees simply felt compelled to do something in response to what had happened.

More than two decades later, that gesture became part of the story behind Park City's modern tradition of remembrance and service.

There is something deeply moving about that.

No grand plan. No elaborate production. Just a few people seeing a moment that called for action and deciding to raise a flag.

Sometimes remembrance begins that simply.

From Remembrance to Service

One of the most meaningful developments in Park City's recent history of honoring September 11 has been the creation of Serve Park City, a local 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The inaugural event in 2024 brought nearly 900 volunteers together for 31 service projects throughout the Park City area. The morning began in City Park with breakfast and a remembrance ceremony before volunteers dispersed throughout the community to serve.

The ceremony included a particularly meaningful sequence of local traditions: a remembrance beginning at 8:46 a.m., Last Call over the radio from the Park City Police Department, Taps performed by a local Boy Scout, remarks from a Park City paramedic, and Amazing Grace performed by the Utah Bagpipe Band.

Then the community went to work.

Volunteers planted trees near Deer Valley, helped with projects at the McPolin Barn, participated in roadside cleanups, and supported local organizations including Nuzzles & Co. and Fetch Cares.

In 2025, the tradition continued with 35 service projects involving more than 40 nonprofits and community organizations, with capacity for more than 1,000 volunteers.

It is a beautiful idea: instead of remembering only by looking backward, Park City chooses to remember by doing something meaningful today.

A Community Teaches Its Children to Remember

Remembrance also lives in Park City's schools.

Over the years, local schools have marked September 11 through moments of silence, classroom discussions, historical lessons, assemblies, and opportunities for students to reflect on what the day means.

In 2011, for example, Park City High School and schools throughout Summit County held remembrance activities. Park City Day School incorporated the anniversary into an assembly centered on the World Trade Center Memorial and the school's value of compassion.

That may be one of the most important parts of remembrance.

A community cannot assume that future generations will automatically understand what an older generation experienced. Stories have to be told. History has to be taught. Memories have to be passed from one generation to the next.

And perhaps most importantly, the lessons surrounding those memories have to remain human.

The Meaning of Service

There is an important distinction between remembering an event and carrying forward its meaning.

September 11 reminds us of loss, but it also reminds us of the people who responded with extraordinary courage.

Firefighters climbed stairs.

Police officers ran toward danger.

Paramedics treated the injured.

Strangers helped strangers.

People donated blood, volunteered, opened their homes, and looked after neighbors.

In the aftermath, service became one of the clearest expressions of solidarity.

That is why Park City's evolution from moments of remembrance to a community-wide day of service feels so fitting.

Service is something a community can continue long after a ceremony ends.

It can mean planting a tree.

Helping a neighbor.

Supporting a nonprofit.

Cleaning a trail.

Showing up for a child.

Checking on someone who is alone.

Offering kindness when it would be easier to keep walking.

The gestures may seem small individually. Collectively, they become the character of a community.

Remembering Without Forgetting the Human Story

There is also another lesson worth carrying forward.

September 11 should be remembered with compassion not only for those who lost their lives and those who responded, but for the many people whose lives were affected in the years that followed.

Remembering should never require forgetting our responsibility to treat one another with dignity.

In the years following 9/11, communities across the United States experienced fear, grief, uncertainty, and division. For younger generations especially, remembering the full history means understanding both the extraordinary courage that emerged from the tragedy and the importance of resisting prejudice and discrimination.

Park City has long valued the idea of community. That does not mean everyone shares the same background, experiences, beliefs, or story.

It means there is value in creating a place where people can show up for one another.

A Mountain Town That Remembers

There is something especially powerful about remembering September 11 in a place like Park City.

We live surrounded by mountains that have witnessed generations of change. Historic buildings tell stories of miners and families who came before us. Trails connect neighborhoods. Schools connect generations. Community organizations bring people together. And places like the McPolin Barn continue to serve as reminders that history is not always found in a textbook.

Sometimes it is hanging from the side of a barn.

Sometimes it is a song played on a trumpet.

Sometimes it is a moment of silence.

Sometimes it is a volunteer picking up a shovel and getting to work.

And sometimes it is simply a neighbor remembering.

We Remember

Today, we remember the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were taken on September 11, 2001.

We remember their families.

We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, military personnel, and civilians who responded with courage.

We remember those who continue to carry the physical and emotional consequences of that day.

And we remember the ordinary people who, in an extraordinary moment, chose compassion, courage, and service.

Here in Park City, that memory continues to take shape in meaningful ways.

A flag raised on a historic barn.

A ceremony in City Park.

A school lesson.

A moment of silence.

Hundreds of neighbors volunteering together.

These are more than traditions. They are reminders that the character of a community is revealed not only by how it celebrates its best days, but by how it remembers its hardest ones.

May we never forget.

And may remembrance continue to inspire the kind of community we want to leave for those who come after us: one rooted in compassion, service, courage, and connection.

Remembering together. Serving together. Building community together.