It's hard not to write about 9/11 on anniversary

It's Sept. 11, seven years after the attacks.

Once more the village is hosting a memorial ceremony 8 a.m. today at the Village Green, 2850 Pratum Ave., with Tammy Duckworth, the state's director of veterans affairs, scheduled to speak.

No doubt this will be a great place to reflect and remember the various local servicemen and women at war in Iraq and Afghanistan - both those fighting right now and those who've returned, like Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Ritenour, a Hoffman Estates High grad whose courage in Afghanistan earned him the Silver Star.

Knowing that the publication date for this week's column is Sept. 11, I wrestled with whether to write about the terrorist attacks. I could write about the new Arboretum of South Barrington, as some shops will open Friday, Sept. 12. That reflects another step in getting traffic over to Hoffman Estates' entertainment district, or 59/90, or whatever it ends up being called.

I could write about how some residents showed their frustration during Monday's board meeting over plans to add a cell phone tower to the village. Trustee Cary Collins called the tower a porcupine, with all the wires sticking out.

I tried really hard in coming up with something else to write about, knowing it'd be hard to add anything to what's already been said about 9/11 over the past seven years.

I've heard from those deployed abroad that they love reading about their friends and families living some semblance of normal lives. They like watching live American sports via satellite and reading about community news. It gives them motivation that they're protecting something worthwhile.

So, in tribute to those women and men fighting, I tried to write a normal column, without any Sept. 11 references, but I couldn't. Maybe next year I could do better. Somehow, I doubt it.

Platzkonzert returns: The Hoffman Estates Arts Commission invites you to its take on Oktoberfest. Grab a brat and a bier for Platzkonzert from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Virgnia Hayter Village Green at Prairie Stone Parkway off Higgins Road. Live Bavarian music performed by the Johnny Wagner Band is part of the festivities, as well as dancers from the Society of the Danube Swabians Youth Group. The Noteables, a local choir, will also sing. Check out hoffmanestatesarts.com or call (847) 252-5443.

• Have a Hoffman Estates story idea? Contact Ashok Selvam at (847) 427-4475 or aselvam@dailyherald.com.