Charlotte-area communities will host more than a dozen memorial events Friday and Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Several gatherings are a short drive from Ballantyne, though no neighborhood-specific ceremony has been announced. The largest events span uptown Charlotte, surrounding towns and into South Carolina.

Friday, Sept. 11

Flags and Lights of Remembrance at Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church St., begins at 8:30 a.m. Nearly 2,977 flags will fill the park, each representing a life lost on Sept. 11, 2001, according to QC News. The flags will be arranged to resemble the Twin Towers, and a steel beam from the World Trade Center will be on display.

The Charlotte Public Safety 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb starts at 8:30 a.m. at Charlotte Sports Park, according to WCNC.

The Cornelius Fire Department holds its ceremony at 8 a.m. at Fire Station #1, 19729 S. Main St. The station houses a piece of steel from the World Trade Center, and the monument is open to the public around the clock, WBTV reported.

The Waxhaw Patriot Day Ceremony begins at 8 a.m. at the Military Wall of Honor, 105 E. North Main St. The program includes a candle-lighting remembrance, moment of silence, guest speaker and Quilts of Valor presentations.

That evening, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Opera Carolina and Charlotte Master Chorale perform Mozart's Requiem and Ave verum corpus at 7:30 p.m. at the Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. Opera Carolina Principal Conductor Stefano Vignati leads the program. A portion of ticket sales supports Charlotte Rotary's 9/11 Scholarship Fund for children of Charlotte-Mecklenburg first responders.

Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson, CMPD Chief Estella Patterson, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden and MEDIC's J.P. Peterson gathered Wednesday, Sept. 2, for a joint conversation about the anniversary and its legacy, the Charlotte Fire Department said on X.

Saturday, Sept. 12

The Charlotte 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, organized with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, takes place at Bank of America Corporate Center, 100 N. Tryon St., according to QC News and WCNC. On-site registration opens at 7 a.m., with an opening ceremony at 8 a.m. and the climb beginning at 8:45 a.m. Participants climb the equivalent of 110 stories in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day.

A separate 9/11 Tribute Climb at Charlotte Motor Speedway begins at 7:30 a.m.

Other area events

  • Mooresville (Friday, Sept. 11): Silent remembrance walk at 8:46 a.m. from Richard's Coffee Shop to Liberty Park, followed by a memorial ceremony at 9 a.m. featuring a performance by Anthony Kearns of the Irish Tenors.
  • Salisbury (Friday, Sept. 11): Fire Department memorial service at 8:30 a.m. at the Firefighters Memorial, 1402 S. Main St. The service follows the timeline of the 2001 attacks over two hours.
  • Huntersville: Field of Honor, with 200 American flags at Huntersville Town Center, 105 Gilead Road, on display through Wednesday, Sept. 16. Free and open to the public.
  • Concord (Friday, Sept. 11): Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at Fire Station 8, 1485 Old Charlotte Road.

The GORUCK Charlotte 9/11 25th Anniversary Weekend runs Sept. 11-12 from Elizabeth Park, 101 N. Kings Drive, with a family-friendly Light Challenge on Friday evening and a 12-mile City Ruck on Saturday morning.

Coming up in Ballantyne

The Waverly Wine Walk benefiting a breast cancer nonprofit is set for Thursday, Sept. 17.