New Hampshire remembers 9/11 with prayer, solemn ceremonies

Sep. 10—New Hampshire has not forgotten.

Twenty-three years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, communities across the state on Wednesday will remember and honor the nearly 3,000 people who died on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.

In Portsmouth, the public is invited to the annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, held in front of City Hall. The ceremony begins at 8:46 a.m., the time when the first airplane struck the Twin Towers in Manhattan. Visitors are encouraged to bring flowers to lay at the steel beam artifact that was recovered from the World Trade Center and transported to Portsmouth in 2015.

In Hampton, American Legion Post 35 will hold its annual ceremony at the Global War on Terrorism Monument, 69 High St., at 6 p.m. The monument honors service members from New Hampshire who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 attacks.

This year, the name of Army Staff Sgt. Tanner Grone of Gorham, who died in a helicopter crash overseas last November, will be added to the monument.

At Saint Anselm College in Goffstown the campus community will gather at 12:15 p.m. for a prayer service for those affected by the events of Sept. 11. The half-hour service will be held at the Alumni Quad statue platform.

Jackson area residents will participate in a nationwide remembrance walk Wednesday morning for the victims, survivors and families of the Sept. 11 attacks, and to honor those in the military and first responders. Participants will gather at 7:45 a.m. at the Jackson Covered Bridge at the intersection of Routes 16 and 16A for a brief ceremony, and the 1.1-mile silent walk begins at 8 a.m.

In Salem, the public is invited to a memorial ceremonyWednesday at the Town Common, 308 Main St., at 8:30 a.m.

The town of Hudson will hold its annual 9/11 observance in Benson Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road, at 6:30 p.m.

New Boston Fire & Rescue marks the anniversary with a Remembrance Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Central Station.

And on Sunday, the annual New Hampshire 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will be held at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, honoring the New York City firefighters who died on Sept. 11.

Each participant pays tribute to a FDNY firefighter by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Donations raised through Stair Climbs around the country fund programs by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation that support families of fallen firefighters and the FDNY counseling services unit.

Nearly 200 people from 28 teams have signed up for this year's New Hampshire event. Registration opens at 7 a.m. and opening ceremonies are at 8:30 a.m.