The Canby Fire District’s 21st anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony took place Sunday morning, as planned, thanks to a rapid improvement in the red flag fire conditions that had plagued the area Friday and Saturday.
Canby Fire Chief Jim Davis served as master of ceremonies, while guest speakers reflected on the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, launched two decades-long wars and reshaped global politics for a generation.
The speakers included Canby Police Detective Sergeant James Murphy, Mayor Brian Hodson and Republican gubernatorial nominee and former House Minority Leader Christine Drazan and Davis. Chaplain John Karay offered the invocation.
A number of Canby firefighters and officials and Canby police officers attended Sunday’s ceremony, as did City Council President Traci Hensley, Councilor Shawn Varwig, City Administrator Scott Archer and other dignitaries.
A presentation of the colors and bell-ringing ceremony were performed by Canby Fire personnel with the support of the American Legion and Knights of Columbus. Pursuant to tradition, the Canby/Aurora Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and Auxiliary presented flowers to Canby firefighters and first responders in attendance.
Samantha Linn and Betty Crawford, chair and vice chair of the Canby 9/11 Memorial Time Capsule Committee, gave a brief update on the status of the project.
Originally buried by Ackerman Middle School teachers and students on the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2002, the capsule was unearthed last year as part of the community’s 20th-anniversary remembrance.
Its contents, which include newspaper clippings, letters, digital media and discs, and other historical documents, have been displayed at various places around Canby, including the Clackamas County Fairgrounds during this year’s fair.
The capsule is to be reburied, with its original contents as well as new submissions from the current generation, on September 11, 2023, at the Canby Fire District’s 9/11 memorial.
The Canby Current and Now Hear This Studios observed last year’s milestone by producing The Canby 9/11 Project, a documentary telling the story of September 11 through the lens of the Canby community.
The film is available in its entirety on YouTube:
