City, fire department to host 9/11 remembrance events

The City of San Marcos and San Marcos Fire Department will host 9/11 remembrance events, beginning Friday.

The city will host a brief ceremony at San Marcos City Hall on Friday to honor the memories of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001. SMFD will host a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb on Sunday at Bobcat Stadium where firefighters and first responders from around Hays County will participate.

“I’d like to thank our community, they continue to show up and as long as they’ll continue to show up and support these [events], we’ll continue to have our 9/11 Remembrance Day ceremony this Friday here at City Hall beginning at 8:40 a.m.,” Fire Chief Les Stephens said Tuesday during a proclamation ceremony recognizing Sunday as 9/11 Remembrance Day. “It’s open to the public. It’s free to attend. We encourage anyone, veterans, first responders, retirees, anyone who would like to support us, we’ll be here at City Hall this Friday.”

At Friday’s remembrance ceremony, Stephens will welcome those gathered at City Hall followed by words from San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson. The San Marcos Fire Department Honor Guard will then raise the same flag that flew over City Hall on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The flag will remain flying throughout the weekend leading up to Sunday.

“We kept that flag and raise it each year to remind us of what was lost that day,” Stephens said.

The public will then be able to place flowers on the Flower Memorial following the program, the city said.

Sunday’s memorial stair climb will take place at Bobcat Stadium with gates opening at 7 a.m. Participants from the San Marcos Fire Department and other local first responders will climb 110 flights in full gear which equals the number of stair flights within the World Trade Center.

“Each 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb participant pays tribute to a [New York Fire Department FDNY] firefighter by climbing or walking the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center,” the fire department said in an event announcement. “Participants not only remember the sacrifice of an FDNY brother, but symbolically completes their heroic journey to save others. Through firefighter and community participation we ensure that each of the 343 firefighters is honored and that the world knows that we will never forget.”

The climb begins at 8:46 a.m. SMFD said the public is invited to watch first responders as they make the 110-flight climb.