Area observances set for fifth anniversary of 9/11

Programs planned in Princeton, Montgomery, West Windsor and Plainsboro

   The fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will be marked next week by a diverse offering of ceremonies, services and programs by area towns and institutions.
   Here is a rundown of events by location:
Princeton
   • An interfaith commemoration, sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action and the Princeton Clergy Association, will be held 6:30 p.m. Sunday in Palmer Square. Representatives of Princeton religious institutions will speak at the 9/11 observance, which will also mark the 100th anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi’s first campaign of nonviolence, begun in South Africa. The commemoration will conclude with a candlelight vigil.
   • Princeton University will hold an interfaith service 9 a.m. Monday in the memorial garden next to Chancellor Green, located between Nassau Hall and Firestone Library. The interfaith service will be conducted by the Office of Religious Life. The memorial garden was created to honor the 13 Princeton alumni killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. During the service, the names of the alumni will be read and prayers of hope will be offered.
Montgomery
   • The township’s third annual Patriot Day blood drive will be held 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Montgomery High School gymnasium in honor of 9/11 victims and emergency responders. To make an appointment, call Health Officer Stephanie Carey at (908) 359-8211, ext. 245.
West Windsor
   • The township will hold a remembrance ceremony 6 p.m. Sunday at the 9/11 memorial reflecting ponds at the Ronald R. Rogers Arboretum at Clarksville Road and Route 571, across from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.
   Following the brief ceremony, an interpretive dance, "When Blue Skies Cry," will be performed by choreographer and West Windsor resident Marie Alonzo Snyder and her troupe. The work is especially meant to remember the seven West Windsor residents who perished in the attack on the World Trade Center.
   • Mercer County Community College will hold a remembrance ceremony 12:30 p.m. Monday at Reflection Park, located by the Student Center. Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes will speak.
Plainsboro
   • Township ceremonies will be held 7 p.m. Monday at the Plainsboro Municipal Building’s 9/11 memorial site. Township officials will honor the victims of the attacks, including the four Plainsboro residents who died at the World Trade Center, and the emergency responders who died in the rescue effort.