9/11 NEVER FORGET Exhibit coming to the fair
One of the main attractions at the Lyon County Fair this year will be the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit that has been traveling across the country to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during one of the darkest days in American history.
The 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit is designed to educate visitors about the events of Sept. 11, 2001. A high-tech 53-foot semi-tractor trailer unfolds into a 1,100-square foot exhibit. Former New York City firefighters and law enforcement officers who survived the 9/11 tragedy while attempting to rescue people following the collapse of the Twin Towers, will be on hand to give live tours in the museum.
One of the former New York firefighters traveling with the mobile exhibit the past two years is Bob Sapienza, now retired following a 27-year career.
“What you will see when you enter the museum is a history of the World Trade Center. Things like how it was built, how much electricity it took to run the buildings, and how much food was brought in each day. It really was a city within a citybecause it had its own theaters and shops,” Sapieneza explained.
The mobile museum also provides interactive education; including artifacts such as steel beams from the towers, pieces of fire trucks involved in 9/11, items found in the rubble, documentary videos, recordings of first responder radio transmissions and more.
“A lot of the stories told really touch my heart because I knew most of the people they talk about,” Sapieneza noted. The mobile exhibit, which began in 2013, is sponsored by the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
It was started by Siller’s siblings to honor the memory of their brother, a New York City firefighter who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2011. Siller had just finished his shift on Sept. 11 and was on his way to play golf with his brothers when he heard that a plane hit one of the Twin Towers.
Upon hearing the news, Siller returned to his Brooklyn Squad 1 to get his gear. Strapping 60 pounds of gear on his back, Siller rushed on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, but died trying to save others when one of the towers he was inside collapsed.
Sapienza, who knew Siller, was home mowing his lawn when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11. “My wife was screaming at me to come inside and see what had just happened,” Sapienza told.
“After seeing it on TV, I knew I immediately needed to go and help.”
“When I got there, the buildings were already down. For three weeks we literally were on our hands and knees clawing and scratching through the rubble to find any survivors.”
HOURS: Friday, Aug. 11 - 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. / Saturday, Aug. 12 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. / Sunday, Aug. 13 Noon-3 p.m.