Saratoga Springs holds 25th anniversary remembrance for Sept. 11 victims

Saratoga Springs marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a public memorial ceremony featuring music, prayers, wreath-laying and remarks from local leaders and first responders. Mayor John F. Sapper thanked attendees, recognized organizers and visiting state representatives, and recited casualty and responder figures tied to the attacks.

"We stopped being divided by anything at all," said Captain Leandra Kissinger of MPTU, Ballston Spa, describing the national outpouring of civic solidarity in the days after 2001. The ceremony included performances by student vocalist Dorothy Spring and local musician Jeff Brisbane, a keynote from retired Saratoga Springs Fire Department Captain Frank Spenceri, interfaith prayers and a poem by Poet Laureate Jay Rogoff. Wreaths were placed by the fire and police chiefs and representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution; Taps was sounded by Master Sergeant Allen Moon.