The community of South Whidbey, along with the rest of America, will remember the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 in myriad ways today, many of them personal reflections, others a gathering of shared sentiments, thoughts and contemplations.
The memorials began at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Sunday with the sacred concert “Passion,” which will be performed again at First Reformed Church in Oak Harbor Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. The 75-plus voice choir is made up of singers from churches all over Whidbey Island, directed by Lynn Vehorn. They will perform a program of choral anthems and contemporary praise and worship accompanied by live music.
WICA is also hosting a unique art show of pieces gathered on The Heart of America Bus Tour, which Tom and Katie French of Clinton and a few others undertook following the events of 9/11, and which traveled from South Whidbey to Ground Zero in New York City.
Called “May Art Steal In,” the exhibit includes work created in churches, daycare centers, community halls, synagogues, and other places across the country before being hung in a midtown Manhattan fire station.
WICA opened the display Saturday, and it will hang through the month.
Today, doors will be open from 11 to 6 p.m. for visitors who wish to explore the multitude of responses to 9/11 as shown through art. From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. the Frenches will be at WICA to talk about their experiences and the collection, which also includes a flag hung at Ground Zero and even firefighters’ clothing.
“We’ll provide a complimentary light lunch and other refreshments for those who might wish to view the artwork and ask questions,” French said. “I thought it might be a nice respite for those working in Langley or for those who are observing the day in their own silent ways.”
The Heart of America Bus Tour was organized by French and The Bountiful Table “to help unite and heal Americans following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.” Beginning Nov. 2 in South Whidbey, it crossed America with stops in Missoula, Mont.; Chicago; Boston; Washington D.C.; and other cities, where it combined community meals, dialogue, expressive arts and multi-faith gatherings.
The tour met with firefighters in many of those gatherings.
“As we traveled across the country visiting fire stations I realized how these everyday heroes go unnoticed in our community.”
The Heart of America Bus Tour arrived Dec. 17 in New York City, where tour members spent three days in midtown Manhattan.
“My thought about New York was how tender and fragile everything still felt when we were there,” he wrote. “You could still walk up to the perimeter of Ground Zero.”
French served meals and and spent three days at the station house of Father Michael Judge, chaplain of the New York City Fire Department as well as the first identified casualty.
“The amazing strength and courage of the men at Engine Co. No. 1 was profound,” French said. The station lost six men in the aftermath of the attacks.
Deborah Koff-Chapin, who over the past 30 years has developed the unique art form of touch drawing, accompanied the tour.
“There weren’t many of us,” Koff-Chapin said. “It was an intense mystic journey for a few.”
Wherever the tour stopped, the artist drew her pictures, many of the firefighters.
“They didn’t want to do any themselves, but they liked posing and watching me draw,” she said. “They also shared my openness, many with stories about their experiences. I felt completely honored to have been there.”
The art at WICA will remain up through the end of the month, and the lobby will be open for viewing Wednesday through Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. The art may also be viewed at www.
bountifultable.org and at
www.touchdrawing.com.
Other community observances begin early today, with an all-day Prayer Vigil in Langley Park starting at 5:45 this morning, when candles will be lit and a self-conducting ritual set in place. Members of the community are encouraged to bring thoughts, poems, flowers, songs, pictures, ribbons and prayers to help facilitate healing, both personal and global. It can be something already created or something made there.
There will be a special container to receive private prayers, and a place to display them publicly if anyone wishes to do so. This will be in place until 10:30 p.m.
In case of wet, windy weather, all this will move one block up the street to Langley United Methodist Church at Third Street and Anthes Avenue.
Any candles will be used with care, depending especially on dry weather conditions. Bring candles to share, if you have them, with safe containers to hold them, such as clear glass jars. Also welcome will be extra paper for writing and drawing. A special invitation is extended to island young people and teens, “inheritors of the future.”
Mayor Lloyd Furman will give a special address and read a proclamation at noon in the park, honoring the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. Suzette Hart, South Whidbey Parks and Recreation director, will sing the national anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Amazing Grace,” with audience participation. There will be a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, a minute of silence, and prayer with Rev. David Vergin of Langley United Methodist Church.
From 6 to 7 p.m., a circle will form at the park to provide a time for brief, public readings and sharing of prayers in the form of words, poems, songs, pictures. From 7 to 8 p.m. there will be a special, inclusive, contemplative Taze service with quiet music in the Sanctuary of Langley United Methodist Church, followed by a short candlelighting with song and prayer at dusk in the park. The vigil will be closed at 10:30 p.m.
St. Augustine’s Episcopal Parish will hold a Sept. 11 Vigil of Remembrance and prayers for peace and reconciliation. From 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., the names of each person killed in the terrorist attacks will be read, and the church bell will toll for one minute at :46 after the hour. Participants may pray silently and meditate on their own; materials for meditation will be available if desired.
There will also be opportunity to meditate on the grounds of St. Augustine’s, which is at 5217 Honeymoon Bay Road, Freeland. Take a walk in its woods, sit and listen to the wind through the pines, or share the sounds of the fountain with colorful birds.
The sanctuary at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland will be open for prayer from noon until 7 p.m. today. A remembrance service of reflective music, silence, readings, prayer, meditation, and candlelighting will be held at noon and repeated at 6 p.m.
Grass Roots, the friends of Deer Lagoon Grange, will hold a gathering from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall on Bayview Road. There will be an informal sharing of songs, poems, stories, and discussion of what has happened since Sept. 11, 2001.
Unity of Whidbey will host the ninth annual World Day of Prayer Sept. 11, an interfaith event open to people of all faiths and walks of life. The theme this year is “Inner Peace,” to help instill peace in the hearts of all people on this special day of remembrance.
Participants will drum together at sunset, 7 p.m., on Unity’s land at 5671 Crawford Road, just off Highway 525. Everyone is invited to bring a drum or other rhythm instrument and join the drummers in affirming peace and love for all beings.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars will present the first National Patriots Day program today at 7 p.m. in Clinton Progressive Hall. Island speakers will pay tribute to firefighters, police, rescue teams and EMT personnel involved in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. There will be finger foods available; bring a neighbor who is unable to drive. For more information, contact Glenn Nichols at 221-5398.
A 9/11 Memorial Service at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Langley will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. today, sponsored by American Legion Post 141, Boy Scout Troop 57, the American Red Cross and Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. A flag ceremony will open the service, which will also feature vocalists Amy Steight and the group Tender Harvest, plus a slide show of Sept. 11 events set to music.
Local dignitaries will speak, including Norma Smith, Ron Smullin and Maureen Black of the Legion. A memorial wreath and signature scroll will be dedicated to the fallen, and candles will be lit for the closing benediction. A reception will follow.
A special gathering of the Dances of Universal Peace will take place from 8 to 9:30 p.m. tonight in the Langley Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The dances use simple music, lyrics and movements to touch one’s spiritual essence, focusing on peace and harmony, creating a sense of solidarity and community while celebrating the underlying unity of all spiritual traditions of Earth.
No musical or dance experience is required. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Lisa Fladager at 221-2677.
