Kingston began its memorial ceremony on 8:46 a.m., 25 years to the minute after the first plane hit the World Trade Center to begin the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony at Firemen’s Park was led by Kingston Fire Department Chief Chris Rea, who began with calling attention to the American flag as the Kingston High School choir sang the Star Spangled Banner. Then followed an opening prayer calling to “remember, pray, and recommit ourselves to peace.”

Mayor Steven T. Noble, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger and Senator Michelle Hinchey all spoke. Hinchey called for unity, which she said was found in the aftermath of the attack, while Metzger expressed gratitude to first responders.

Noble said that “most people remember exactly what they were doing, exactly where they were” on 9/11 while “there are 2,977 people who are not able to tell their story, and who are not able to share what happened that day.”

“This place, this park, this memorial, is exactly why we have this here, and I just want to take a moment to thank the volunteers who have worked tirelessly each and every year,” Noble said. “The fact that this location is here in the heart of Uptown Kingston, with so much life around it even as we stand here today in this solemn ceremony, it is this place that helps to make sure that those memories live on.”

Students figured heavily in the ceremony. A poem called "The Rubble," written by a high school student, was read by a member of the choir. Also, Rondout Valley High School student Nate Stupple and 12-year-old Emma Bogart, whose family is part of emergency services, were both invited to share their perspective

Bogart said that while she was not born until after the attacks, “I've spent my whole life living in the aftershock” as a member of a first responder family. Bogart said that as she got older, “I started to see and understand the horrible things that were done to our country.”

“In August of 2022, my parents took my sister and I to New York City to see the 9/11 Memorial Museum,” Bogart said. “I can still remember making our way down the ramp and seeing the destroyed ladder and the pieces of steel from the towers. Then there was this woman just sitting on the bench, all by herself, crying.”

Stupple said that he was “apprehensive to accept” the offer to speak at the ceremony because he was unsure how to “never forget something you never knew to begin with,” and that when speaking to those who were alive on 9/11, it “amazes” him that they remember exactly where they were and what they were doing.

“This makes it clear how traumatic the event was to everyone, and why people feel the need to impart the importance of this event to the younger generation to ensure something like that can never happen again,” Stupple said. “The valor that was shown by emergency responders on 9/11 was not unique to that day, and is what we see every day.”