Today is Patriot Day. Most Americans don't know that.
They'll say, "You mean that third Monday holiday in April?"
No, that's Patriot's Day. That's different.
Patriot Day is Sept. 11. It was designated so by Congress three months after the terrorist attack of 2001, and proclaimed by President Bush as a day of remembrance, encouraging people to attend services and vigils.
"In addition," President Bush writes in his annual proclamation, "I call upon all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes on that day and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent victims who lost their lives . . . "
However, Patriot Day and Patriot's Day do share something in common. They both mark the start of a war. On April 19, 1775, the battle of Lexington and Concord commenced the Revolutionary War. On Sept. 11, 2001, the war against terrorism began.
"As liberty's home and defender, American will not tire, will not falter, and will not fail in fighting for the safety and security of the American people and a world free from terrorism," President Bush writes.
What follows is a listing of local Patriot Day events:
Governor Carcieri will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony in the Bell Area of the State House at 10 a.m. The Rhode Island National Guard Color Guard and the Rev. John Holt, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, will participate. At 10:10 a.m. (the time of the crash of the fourth hijacked plane in Shankesville, Pa.) churches throughout the state will toll bells to honor the memory of those who were killed. The State House will be opened from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to allow visitors to view Rhode Island's September 11th Memorial.
The Great Friends Meeting House, Marlborough and Farewell streets, Newport, will be open for quiet reflection from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those who wish to use the space to remember in silence the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are welcome. No admission will be charged. For more information, call (401) 846-0813.
A multimedia exhibition, "I Love You [rev.eng]," presented and organized by the Information Technology, War, and Peace (InfoTechWarPeace) Project at Brown's Watson Institute for International Studies, looks at the role of cyberspace in the terrorist era. The exhibition is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m., through Oct. 4 at the Watson Institute, 11 Thayer St., Providence.
The documentary After 9/11 will be shown at the Avon Cinema, 260 Thayer St., Providence, at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $8.50. The film, created by InfoTechWarPeace, focuses on the interrelation between media, technology and terrorism.
A reflective ceremony, Forever Remembering, will be held at Battleship Cove, Five Water Street, Fall River, from 8:20 to 9 p.m. For information, call (508) 678-1100.
The Mathewson Street United Methodist Church and the University of Rhode Island Providence campus, Providence, will present Healing After 9/11, a performance collage of music, theater and dance, at 7:30 p.m. in URI's Paff Auditorium, 80 Washington St. Admission is free.
URI Providence and the Mathewson Street Church also present a mixed-media exhibit, "9-1-1 How Can I Help You," through Sept. 30. URI's gallery at 80 Washington St. is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays. For more information, call (401) 277-5206. The Mathewson Street United Methodist Church Chapel Gallery, 134 Mathewson St., Providence, is open Sundays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call (401) 331-8901.
The First Baptist Church in America, 75 North Main St., Providence, is hosting an evening of traditional and gospel hymns in memory of 9/11. The event starts at 8 p.m.
Tonight's WaterFire will include a special tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During the evening, volunteers will hand out 2,996 long-stem carnations, each bearing the name of a person killed in the attacks. At 9 p.m., bells will be rung in memory of the dead, and 30 bouquets of flowers will be placed on the flames at Waterplace and Memorial parks. As usual, the fires will be lit at sunset (about 7:03 p.m.) and continue burning along the downtown rivers until 1 a.m. For more information, call (401) 272-3111 or visit www.waterfire.org.
