Prescott Valley marks 25th Patriot Day with flags, remembrance and calls for unity

Prescott Valley gathered on Patriot Day for a 25th-anniversary remembrance that combined ceremonial observances, personal reflection and youth participation.

Mary Mallory, who introduced the evening and identified herself as a Yavapai County supervisor, opened by saying, “My name is Mary Mallory. I am the county supervisor for Yavapai County.” She framed the ceremony as a community promise: to remember those who died 25 years ago and to teach younger generations why the day matters. Mayor Cal thanked volunteers, elected officials, first responders and veterans and urged attendees to keep the names and sacrifices of the fallen alive.

The program included a pledge of allegiance, the national anthem performed by Presque Isle police officer April Reynolds and an invocation from Prescott Valley Police Department Chaplain Jerry Ferguson. The event also featured student readers who placed tags and read short biographies of victims represented by the field of flags.

Organizers emphasized community participation and youth engagement. Mary Mallory closed by noting that the field of flags had been full of children and calling on residents to “put out the noise and do what’s right,” linking remembrance to civic responsibility.

The ceremony included traditional first-responder tributes — a boots placement and a bell ceremony — and a guest reflection from Kevin Forbes, a county budget manager who recalled his experience as a 12‑year‑old on 09/11/2001 and urged attendees to adopt the bravery he witnessed that day.