Photo by Denis B. Charest
Obviously, Canyon Lake has not forgotten
On Friday night, exactly timed at 9:11 p.m., blue beams of light sparkled into the sky above Canyon Lake to commemorate the solemn and tragic day of what had occurred 19 years ago.
From signs, to artwork and wreaths, commemorations were displayed throughout the community as a result of a grassroots effort of a couple of diehard New Yorker transplants who were determined this country…and Canyon Lake in particular…would never forget the attack.
A flag at half staff pays tribute in tandem with the twin lights that illuminate the sky over Canyon Lake last Friday at 9:11 p.m. Hundreds of Canyon Lakers showed for the tribute outside the Canyon Lake Lodge. Photo by Bob McGuire
“People took initiative, people donated, people asked how they could help,” Brian Bock, one of the event organizers and a former New York City resident, said. “It was truly a joint community effort that could not have occurred without all of us working together.”
The hard-to-not-notice twin beams of blue spotlights into the sky were not the only blue lights being illuminated Friday night. The spirit of the event caught on throughout the community. Houses turned blue. Landscapes and trees were lit up with blue lights. Signs popped up on hundreds of Canyon Lake front yards.
And, despite being discouraged from showing up because of COVID-19 health concerns, hundreds of Canyon Lakers spread out in front of the steps of the Canyon Lake Lodge to witness the small program the Canyon Lake 9/11 Tribute in Lights committee had organized just prior to lighting the sky.
This wreath, designed and provided by Megan Zimmerer-Horton of The Creative Corner, was presented to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to honor the 9-11 New York City first responders. Photo by Megan Zimmerer-Horton
The tribute ceremony at the lodge included keynote speakers who spoke about the tragedy, how it wounded the nation and that the world must never forget. Some speakers spoke live, while others participated by video. One of those at the event was Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco who received a floral wreath to help honor the first responders from 19 years ago who risked and who gave their lives to help those trapped in the twin towers.
Following a timely schedule, at 9:10 p.m. the fire department turned on its fire engine lights and siren until 9:11 p.m. After a moment of silence took place, April McKinnon sang Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To Be An American.”
‘’It was incredibly awesome,” Ilyssa DeCasperis, the other New Yorker who sprang into action just four weeks ago to begin the tribute process, said. “What stuck out the most for me, and what was just so memorable, was the support from our community, the city and the POA. Sheriff Bianco’s speech was just amazing. In a world so divided right now, this was a complete show of unity. We all came together as one for the memorial.’’
Tim Cook, who was the committee member in charge of the lighting logistics, was relieved all went as planned.
“Thankfully, we had no hitches. The event was very successful” he said. “Later, I drove my golf cart to Happy Camp to see the two parallel lights reflect on the water. It was absolutely stunning.”
Just a month ago, Brian and Illyssa formed a small group to consider how Canyon Lake could commemorate the 9/11 tragedy. New York had announced it was cancelling its commemoration of its twin beams because of COVID-19 concerns (which, under pressure, later reconsidered) and the two were upset and determined to do something about it. Support erupted.
“The many posts on Facebook, the endless support and the hundreds of people who attended the ceremony proved how powerful our community can be when we are all united,” Brian said. “I never would’ve thought that our small idea of lighting up our hill on our street could turn into one big community effort to honor the lives lost on such a tragic day. The way our community pulled this off was almost magical.”
Many Canyon Lakers also documented their 9/11 thoughts and experiences through the use of social media with the hashtag “CL Will Never Forget.” The posts were of pictures of their lit-up houses, live streaming the event so it was accessible to all or commenting about the spectacular lights they had seen. Others posted about how they experienced and were impacted by the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
‘’We hope to continue this annually,” Ilyssa said. “The fact that this was completely resident driven was so powerful. The lights were magnificent. I was incredibly touched by the support of the community.‘’
There is talk of the committee exploring the possibility of becoming a nonprofit organization. Excess funds from Friday’s event will be donated to the Inland Empire Blue Belles, a charity organization that supports and provides assistance to law enforcement families adversely affected in the line of duty.