Light show to honor Wright County Heroes on 9/11

Wright County Heroes Week, set to begin Sunday, September 11, still needs official approval from the county supervisors, but planning for the commemoration event that day is under way. The idea to honor first responders came from Tom Frantz, a veteran and member of the Clarion EMS team, who for the past six years has put together a Christmas light show with the help of his family. On 9/11, the 15-year anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, he plans to honor first responders at the Sunday ceremony with a light show specifically designed for the occasion.

Frantz said current events helped spark the idea. “There’s been a lot of police-related gun incidents recently,” Frantz said, from the tragic Dallas shooting, to a more local incident in Boone where no officers were harmed. “In a time where being a firefighter or a police officer or a first responder, where it’s criticized… I think it’s very important that we come together as a county and support them and give them the thanks they deserve.”

The 9/11 ceremony will involve public recognition of the various first response branches in each city, from firefighters to EMS to police. To Frantz, it’s important that all eight of Wright County’s communities, not just Clarion, are involved. “All of them deserve recognition. They all have somebody who meets one of the categories,” he said. The VFW will provide a 21-gun salute, and the national anthem will be sun by Tessa Yackle.

For more details about the event, see the August 11 edition of the Monitor.