Make It a Date

Mammoth Park courtesy of GO Laurel Highlands

by Ann Nemanic, Executive Director, GO Laurel Highlands

Goals. We all set them for various reasons. Likely, a vacation, especially one for 2021, was at the top of many must-do lists. As we emerged from the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was evident personal travel was returning at breakneck speed. A vacation, even a small getaway, provides such a welcome respite and an opportunity to hit the pause button and recharge. It’s an opportunity to collect those precious memories we need for our mental wellness. If you don’t have dates circled on your calendar, no worries. We still have weeks of summer remaining and the months of a Laurel Highlands fall are unsurpassed. If getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible is a priority, Spirit Airlines offers departing flights to several destinations out of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Have you seen the interior improvements? GO Laurel Highlands championed the cause of visual airport enhancements in May 2021. With an affirmative nod from the airport authority and the county commissioners, a once blank beige canvas was transformed into a captivating landscape of the region. Over 50 installations including massive wall murals, 10-foot banners, stunning photography mounts, three-dimensional pieces, a resource wall, and an expansive regional map serve as a source of ‘welcome’ for visitors and, hopefully, create a sense of pride for those lucky enough to call the Laurel Highlands home.

If a faraway destination is not on the horizon, enlist the help of the GO Laurel Highlands team to plan a stay-cation. Visit our new location at 113 East Main Street on The Diamond in Ligonier for inspiration. Regional brochures, outdoor recreational resources, our destination guide, and the new Westmoreland Heritage history and cultural map will help you discover treasures in your own backyard. Be sure to pick up a copy of our 2021 Coupon Book filled with over $350 of savings and the

LHPourTour passport designed to help you explore our extensive craft beverage industry.

The Laurel Highlands’ footprint covers over 3,000 square miles….700 of those are trails. Hiking, biking, mountain biking, and easy walking trails can fill hours, even days with outdoor experiences. Our natural waterways, waterfalls, water slides and calm water will easily cool your senses on the hottest of summer days. Vacation rentals, campgrounds, and resorts allow you to pod-travel… yes, that’s a new word that emerged in our industry from the pandemic. Meaning: traveling within your comfort pod of close family members.

Photo from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport I’m one for new discoveries, and I’ll simply share a few new businesses (joining the mix of 3,500 in our region) who would appreciate your patronage when you are mapping out your next adventure. Visit GoLaurelHighlands.com and search for Tissue Farm, The Creamery at Pleasant Lane Farms, Brushes & Beans Café, White Carriage Acres, Gypsy Lane Café, Tylers Bakery & Café, Chapel Hill Wines, Beef Jerky Experience, Getaway Café, and Hemlock Lane Designs. Make It A Date - A date for making and collecting memories in the beautiful Laurel Highlands.

The Creamery at Pleasant Lane Farms

Tyler’s Bakery & Café

For most Americans, the annual reminder of the events that transpired on 9/11 is like digging up a nightmarish time capsule full of mixed emotions. News and social media outlets are flooded with the devastating images and audio that resurface every anniversary. While those images are powerful and necessary to show the general public, it can be easy to forget the individuals and the countless acts of heroism that occurred that September morning.

When the 33 ordinary passengers and 7 crew members of United Airlines Flight 93 boarded the Boeing 757-200 that morning, it was impossible for them to know that this would be the final day of their lives. After all, they were regular people like you and I.

That day those ordinary people embodied the American spirit. When terrorist - hijackers took control of the aircraft somewhere over Ohio and reversed its course for an attack on Washington D.C., the crew members and passengers refused to allow the circumstances to dictate fate. The plane, which the 9/11 Commission confirms was most likely bound for the US Capitol Building, had the potential to kill countless more Americans. Instead, people just like you and I did not allow evil to triumph. They thought and prayed together, shared final phone calls with loved ones and attempted to take back control of the aircraft. Those 40 ordinary individuals became instant heroes, inspiring people around the world.

Now 20 years later, after the dust has settled, it is up to us to uphold the legacy of these brave men and women. The simplest way to do this is to read, research and pass the stories of these heroes on to the next generation. Fortunately for citizens of Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County stands in permanent tribute to their memory, and the memorial Ambassadors serve as an important resource to learn about the horrific events of that day.

Per Flight 93 National Memorial Superintendent, Stephen Clark, “Before the permanent memorial was completed, and a mere chain-link fence surrounded the crash site, there were Flight 93 Ambassadors.” Unpaid, they volunteer their time day in and day out to assist visitors in learning more about the stories and people surrounding 9/11. Ambassadors receive training to learn as much information as possible in order to educate the public. People from all over the world flock to the memorial to learn and honor the memory of the brave men and women aboard the flight that day, and the Ambassadors ensure it is precisely those stories that never die.

Tucked into the rolling green hills of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, the Flight 93 National Memorial, which was officially dedicated on September 10th, 2015, solemnly overlooks the very field where 40 heroes’ lives would come to a tragic end. Above the hill of the crash site, sits the flight walkway that leads to Visitor Center Complex, with a powerful permanent exhibition that allows guests to intimately familiarize themselves with the individual stories of the passengers and crew and to learn how their actions while aboard Flight 93 saved countless lives that day. Visitors can explore the unique stories and artifacts, as well as interact with the user-friendly media exhibits that help people of all ages to learn more about the significance of the sacrifices made by the Flight 93 heroes.

At the heart of the memorial is the breathtaking Memorial Plaza which includes a seating area, the Plaza Walkway and the Wall of Names. The seating area accommodates programs given by the national park rangers who, like the Ambassadors, are

The black walkway is the Flight Path stretching past the Visitor Center and ending with a glass panel providing a view of the Memorial Plaza at the crash site. Written on the panel is the quote “A common field one day, a field of honor forever.” The concrete walls of the Visitor Center were poured into molds made from old barn boards to give the walls a wood texture. Flight 93 National Memorial Superintendent, Stephen Clark and Volunteer Ambassador, Judy Petrusic.

The approximate location of the impact site is marked by a 17-ton native sandstone boulder that was placed in 2011.

... countless acts of heroism that occurred that September morning.

also extremely knowledgeable about the events on 9/11. The Plaza is home to forty sweet gum trees, donated to the memorial by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site. Three of the trees, symbolizing the three 9/11 sites (World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville), are planted near the benches at Memorial Plaza where ranger talks occur, and the other 37 are planted between the Wall of Names and western overlook.

The Plaza Walkway is a quarter-mile stretch that runs along the area where Flight 93 crashed. According to Clark, “A common question of visitors is ‘Why does a boulder serve as the landmark?’ The answer is simple. A family member in 2010 suggested a boulder from the 2200 acres mark the actual impact site and it caught momentum.” The Plaza Walkway allows all visitors to walk next to the field and view the crash site from a short distance.

The main feature of the Memorial Plaza is The Wall of Names. Located under the original flight path and final descent of Flight 93 into the field, pieces of polished white marble containing names etched in black to immortalize each of the forty individuals lost in the crash. The sparkling white stones are perfectly and subtly complemented by black granite, marking the pathway Flight 93 took.

The final piece of the memorial is the beautiful and sky-piercing Tower of Voices. The symbolic monument is ninety-three feet tall and houses forty wind chimes, forever serving as a reminder of the forty passengers and crew members on Flight 93. Superintendent Clark explained that the tower is actually a structure formed from eight columns each containing five chimes, for a total of forty chimes, the size and magnitude of which are not matched anywhere else in the world. The design of the tower is specific to the landscape in which it sits, “completely at the mercy of beautiful Western Pennsylvania, Somerset County wind,” Clark said. Wind patterns were taken into account to maximize the amount of wind that would travel through the structure to reach the chimes. Additionally, tying music theory and mathematical calculations together, the desired

Designed by Paul Murdoch Architects, The Tower of Voices weighs in at approximately 548,000 lbs. or 274 tons of concrete and steel. It contains 141 cubic yards of concrete (14 mixers) and 49,000 lineal feet (9.25 miles) of reinforcing steel.

end state of the monument is to harmonize forty different tones, representative of the voices of the forty passengers and crew members. Clark went on to describe the structure by saying that when the wind interacts with the chimes at the perfect pitch, you can feel “somebody living right now.” Next to US Route 30/Lincoln Highway, the Tower of Voices provides a solemn auditory reminder of their voices and spirit that will carry on for generations to come. It is also worth noting that if you are unable to make it to the memorial in person, a video containing audio of the chimes can be heard on: www.earthcam. com/usa/pennsylvania/ shanksville/?cam=flight93_hd or scan here.

This year, to memorialize the 20th anniversary of Flight 93, there will be several public events occurring at the memorial. Per Superintendent Clark, “On the evening of September 10, 40 luminaria candle lanterns will be lit and carried by family members, distinguished guests, National Park Service staff and friends to be placed below the names of each of the passengers and crew members of Flight 93, dramatically illuminating the Wall of Names. This is a respectful tribute and peaceful time to reflect and remember those who were lost on September 11, 2001.” In addition to the luminaria, a special memorial tribute concert will also take place on the evening of September 10th. For more information on these events and others, visit: www.nps.gov/ flni/planyourvisit/sept11observance.htm

The Flight 93 National Memorial is extremely peaceful, yet striking. Between learning at the museum of the stories and heroic acts of the Flight 93 individuals and walking the grounds, the memorial elicits an effective symphony of emotions. While it may be hard - and at some points heartbreaking - to process the horror and loss that occurred that day, it is a necessary practice: the reality of the events of 9/11 are both a part of who we are as a country and as individual Americans. In a time when politics and media pull us further apart, it becomes even more imperative that we remember the common threads that weave us together as Americans. While it would be ideal to make time to travel to the memorial and immerse yourself in everything it has to offer, at a minimum, take time to reflect on that day: learn one thing more about Flight 93 or 9/11 than you didn’t know, and pause to feel gratitude for everything you cherish and everyone you love. Through this practice, we can forever honor the legacy and sacrifice of those 40 brave souls.

The Crew and Passengers of Flight 93

Crew

Captain Jason M. Dahl First Officer LeRoy Homer Lorraine G. Bay Sandy Waugh Bradshaw Wanda Anita Green CeeCee Ross Lyles Deborah Jacobs Welsh

Passengers

Christian Adams Todd M. Beamer Alan Anthony Beaven Mark Bingham Deora Frances Bodley Marion R. Britton Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. William Joseph Cashman Georgine Rose Corrigan Patricia Cushing Joseph DeLuca Patrick Joseph Driscoll Edward Porter Felt Jane C. Folger Colleen L. Fraser Andrew (Sonny) Garcia Jeremy Logan Glick Kristin Osterholm White Gould Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Donald Freeman Greene Linda Gronlund Richard J. Guadagno Toshiya Kuge Hilda Marcin Waleska Martinez Nicole Carol Miller Louis J. Nacke II Donald Arthur Peterson Jean Hoadley Peterson Mark David Rothenberg Christine Ann Snyder John Talignani Honor Elizabeth Wainio

Learn more about the Flight 93 National Memorial at www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm