Photo by David Leong.
Hundreds of participants gathered at the annual Patriot Day 9/11 Remembrance at Vestavia Hills Civic Center in 2025. This annual event is hosted by the cities of Vestavia Hills, Homewood and Mountain Brook on a rotating basis to pay tribute to first responders and commemorate what happened that day in 2001.
The tri-city 9/11 Day of Remembrance & Patriot Day Ceremony is set for Friday, Sept. 11 from 9-10 a.m. at SoHo Plaza in Homewood. The public is invited.
The annual event is jointly sponsored by the cities of Mountain Brook, Homewood and Vestavia Hills and rotates each year. It honors the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and pays tribute to first responders and military personnel.
The program will include remarks from community leaders, a presentation of the colors, patriotic music and a time of remembrance.
This year’s keynote speaker has not yet been announced.
Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith said the gathering is a statement of shared values.
“We are honored to join our fellow over-the-mountain communities in remembrance,” Smith said. “While 9/11 showed us that evil exists in this world, it also revealed something far more powerful: We are stronger as a people when united in purpose and compassion. Our annual gathering reaffirms that our communities, our shared values and our commitment to one another will always be stronger than those who seek to divide us.”
Vestavia Hills Fire Department Deputy Chief Ryan Farrell said that for first responders, it is a rare chance to gather across agencies and jurisdictions.
“It gives us all a chance to be in the same place with our brothers and sisters,” Farrell said.
The event also plays a key role in shaping the next generation of firefighters.
New firefighters in Vestavia’s recruit school are intentionally brought to the observance so they can better grasp the weight of the day and the legacy they are joining.
“I think it’s important that we instill the importance and the reverence of this occasion to our newer firefighters,” Farrell said.
He said they are often taken aback by how well attended and well organized the ceremony is.
“It’s a good opportunity to introduce them into the brother and sisterhood that the fire service is,” Farrell said.
Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress said the occasion remains meaningful.
“It is the most solemn of ceremonies, one that highlights the danger every time our first responders answer the call,” Andress said. “We all remember where we were on that fateful day.”
Shay Gartman, executive director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce, said the day is also about unity across city lines.
“This annual ceremony brings our three communities together to honor and remember the lives lost, while paying tribute to the courageous first responders, military members and all who continue to serve our country and communities,” Gartman said.
Homewood Fire Chief Brandon Broadhead agreed.
“It is much more than a ceremony,” Broadhead said. “It is a moving experience. For a little while, everything else stops, and we come together as one community to remember, to honor, and to show appreciation for service and sacrifice. That sense of community is what makes the Homewood ceremony so special.”
