Traveling Sept. 11 museum arrives in Rosemont
A traveling museum of artifacts from New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, comes to Rosemont this weekend, with guided tours given by some of the firefighters who responded to ground zero that day.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s 9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit is open for free public viewing in the Parkway Bank Park entertainment district from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9-10.
“This moving tribute provides our community with a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the bravery and sacrifice of the first responders and victims of Sept. 11, 2001,” said Mayor Brad Stephens. “We encourage everyone to visit, hear firsthand accounts from first responders, and help ensure that the legacy of those we lost is never forgotten.”
Contained within an 83-foot tractor-trailer, the artifacts and exhibit pieces are displayed in a 1,100-square-foot interactive exhibit. Among the items featured: World Trade Center steel beams, aluminum facade, pieces of the marble lobby floor, items recovered from the rubble after the towers collapsed, recordings of dispatch radio transmissions, videos, and tributes to first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Volunteer docents who conduct tours are retired FDNY (New York City Fire Department) firefighters who will share their firsthand accounts of being there on Sept. 11 and its aftermath.
The exhibit was at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights last October. Since launching in 2013, the mobile museum has visited nearly 50 states and Canada, and been seen by more than 1 million people.
The Rosemont park is at 5501 Park Place, north of Balmoral Avenue and east of the Tri-State Tollway.