FARMINGTON — Nearly 3,000 flags and a bell toll for each one of the people who perished in the 9/11 attacks will highlight the remembrance at the University of Maine at Farmington this weekend.
A panel discussion, “Reflections on September 11,” also takes place at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in Thomas Auditorium.
The public is welcome to attend and participate in any of the events, Kirsten Swan, director for the Center of Student Involvement at UMF, said.
Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, participants will begin setting nearly 3,000, 6-inch American flags on Mantor Green. Each flag will represent a person who died in the attacks. The display will remain until Monday afternoon.
In previous years, College Republicans have created a display to commemorate the day, Swan said. After talking with students this summer about what might be appropriate for the 10th anniversary, a flag display creating an image in the shape of the Twin Towers in New York City was suggested.
There will be 110 rows of flags representing the 110 stories of each of the towers, and a number of columns of flags about 10 feet apart on the library green. Students and others will then fill in the space with the specially ordered flags, one for each person who perished, she said.
Starting at 8:43 a.m. Sunday, the time when the first plane hit the first tower, students will begin sounding a bell 2,976 times, once for each person who died in the terrorist attacks in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Va., and in a field in Shanksville, Pa., she said.
A panel comprising faculty, staff and a community member will share general reflections Monday night. Topics covered include the impact on the economy, the view of other world powers toward the United States since 9/11, religious implications and personal thoughts, panel organizer F. Celeste Branham, vice president for student and community services, said.
A question-and-answer period or dialogue with the audience is planned following a short presentation given by each panel member, she said.
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