Programs will honor Patriot Day

MANALAPAN — The Monmouth County Library Headquarters will feature a two-part series in September to commemorate Patriot Day.

By a U.S. House of Representatives Joint Resolution approved Dec. 18, 2001, Sept. 11 of each year was designated as “Patriot Day” to remember those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

Part one of the series, “Patriotic Melodies: Songs of Pride and Hope,” will be presented by the Heart of New Jersey Chorus on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.

The award-winning chorus, a chapter of the Sweet Adelines International, known for their harmonic skills and exuberant presentations, is a worldwide organization of women singers. They will sing patriotic songs a cappella in four-part harmony.

“Frontline: Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero” will be screened on Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the second program in the series.

The film discusses ground zero in lower Manhattan, a site of pilgrimage for thousands of people who visit looking for consolation and questioning the events of Sept. 11, 2001. There is a profound quiet to their meditations captured in this informative documentary, according to a press release from the library.

The library invites patrons to view The September 11 Memorial Plaques Exhibit, first unveiled in the headquarters library lower gallery in September 2003. It contains pictures and the names of the people who perished on Sept. 11, 2001, and remains a frequently viewed permanent exhibit and memorial to honor the victims.

An identical exhibit is on display at the Howell branch of the Monmouth County Library.

The eight original printing plates from The New York Times article titled “A Nation Challenged – One Year Later” may also be viewed. They were published in the Sept. 11, 2002, edition of the newspaper.

The exhibit was brought to the library by the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders. The plaques are a gift from The New York Times, facilitated through the efforts of the Howell Optimist Club.

The library system headquarters is at 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan. The programs in the series are free of charge and open to the public.