Sept. 11 Ceremony Draws Hundreds to Bayside Hills

More than 200 northeast Queens residents turned out Tuesday night to pay tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Bayside Hills.

Michael Feiner, president of the Bayside Hills Civic Association, called on the event's residents and elected officials to never forget the lives lost at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"I'm proud of our city," Feiner said during the ceremony, which was held at the corner of Horace Harding Expressway and Bell Boulevard. "We must always remember this tragic blow to our country. The events of Sept. 11 remain vivid in our memories."

The civic unveiled an that had been given to the group by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey last year for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

The inscription, which was created by Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece, gives the history of the Bayside Hills Sept. 11 Memorial Garden and honors the two local residents who died at the World Trade Center - George Marino, a Fiduciary Trust employee, and Alfonse Niedermeyer III, a Port Authority officer.

A bevy of local elected officials turned out to honor the lives of those lost on 9/11.

"We saw some of the worst aspects of humanity that day, but also saw the true colors of New Yorkers," state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, said. "It shows that when things get tough, we stick together and help each other."

Other elected officials in attendance included state Assembly members David Weprin, D-Little Neck, and Grace Meng, D-Flushing, City Council members Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, and Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens, Deputy Queens Borough President Barry Grodenchik and former state Sen. Frank Padavan.

Northeast Queens residents gathered around the memorial, waving American flags and holding up candles as they sang hymns "God Bless America" and "The Star Spangled Banner."

Iannece said the community would turn out to commemorate 9/11 every year for years to come.

"Over the course of the past 11 years, we've done what we do best - we have gotten on with our lives," he said. "But I saw on TV this morning people at the World Trade Center whose lives were changed forever. The principles and ideas of America will never die. We'll never forget."