City of Cortland Holds 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Thursday Morning

The City of Cortland held their respective 9/11 ceremony yesterday. Cortland’s was held at the 9/11 Memorial at Courthouse Park at 8:30 yesterday morning. The event was attended by City & County officials, veterans, members of local law enforcement agencies, Cortland Fire, and members of the public.

The main speaker this year for Cortland’s 9/11 memorial ceremony was Cortland County District Attorney, Patrick Perfetti. The ceremony was opened with a prayer by Cortland Police Chaplain Pastor, Matthew Smith followed by Cortland Mayor Scott Steve. Steve requested 6 bells to be rung during the ceremony; One rang for the World Trade Center, one each of the three crash sites, one for the Pentagon, and one for Fire, Police, and EMTS. Following the bell ringing was a moment of silence.

The sounds from the bagpipe performed by Nick Lundberg echoed through Courthouse Park and the 9/11 Memorial following the ringing of the bell six times. Patrick Perfetti spoke on how the day is “indelibly etched” to people’s collective conscience and serves as a touch-point to our lives and shapes the collective identity of people. 

“It’s a day that if one was alive, is remembered.” Perfetti said. “You know where you were and what you were doing.”

Perfetti continued to reflect on where he was and what he was doing when the news first broke out of the attacks on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. Adding he knew when watching the images on TV that it was a terroristic attack. Perfetti, a US Navy Veteran, served following the attacks providing security to bridges & tunnels into New York City. He would later be called to active duty in 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Perfetti then went on to speak of this year’s honorees, Tino & Carole Ferro, both of whom passed away earlier this year. Both Tino and Carole were Cortland natives and were married for 63 years. Later on in their lives, they would open Frog Pond Farm Art Gallery. Carole providing the design vision with Tino’s well-known work for large sculptures helped bring the creation of the Memorial Garden, which is a lasting tribute, Perfetti noted.

“Our community owes Tino and Carole a great deal of gratitude for their artistic vision in building the 9/11 memorial which stands strong in Cortland’s Courthouse Park.”

The ceremony concluded with the final rendering of honors of a three-volley salute, taps, prayer, and Amazing Grace on bagpipes.