By Mary O’KEEFE

Like most traditions in the Crescenta Valley, the Remembrance Parade began with a few people talking around a table.

“Last year, Steve [Pierce], Dwight [Sityar] and I were talking about something and the [subject] of 9/11 came up,” said Jean Maluccio, Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce advisor.

Pierce is the president of the CVCOC and Sityar is a member of the Early Rodders car club.

The three felt something should be done to recognize Patriot Day and to remember the victims of 9/11.

Maluccio, Sityar and Pierce discussed options that ranged from having a fire engine drive down Foothill Boulevard and inviting people to stand along the sidewalk to honoring firefighters at a station. The problem would be which station.

Then Sityar thought of including the classic cars from Early Rodders; the group of car enthusiasts has been very supportive of events in Crescenta Valley including the CVCOC Hometown Country Fair and the Montrose/Glendale Christmas Parade.

It was decided to have several decorated classic cars with local community members as passengers drive a route that would pass by every fire station and the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, as well as past several schools.

From there, Sityar said, Maluccio contacted law enforcement and fire stations and Pierce contacted Pete and Mike Smith from Bob Smith Toyota for support.

“And we did all this [planning] in two days,” Maluccio said.

Last year on Sept. 11, invited community members met at Ralph’s parking lot on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta and loaded into red, white and blue decorated classic cars and drove the route outlined by the trio. Kids at elementary schools greeted the cars with American flags, and the display gave teachers another opportunity to discuss the events of 9/11.

This year a similar event is planned with the route extended to add more schools. Most of those schools are planning to have students lined up to watch the Remembrance Parade drive by.

There will be one difference this year, however; organizers are including a ceremony the night of 9/11 at Bob Smith Toyota.

“I had [worked on] a 9/11 ceremony in Tujunga,” Sityar said.

There he gathered a choir from Verdugo Hills High School, country singer Eli Locke and a band. Fire and law enforcement members were invited.

This year, CV organizers decided to do the same type of ceremony. There will be a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of 9/11. Firefighters and law enforcement will honor those who died while responding to the terrorist attack.

“It is to remember, honor and respect,” Sityar said.

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists whose purpose was to deliberately fly into specific targets, hijacked four planes. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York City, one was flown into the U.S. Pentagon and a fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Victims were in the planes, buildings and on the ground. In New York, fire, police and other emergency responders rushed to help only to be caught in the collapse of the buildings. There were 2,753 victims of these four terrorist attacks. Patriot Day is held in observance on Sept. 11 to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001.

Community members are invited to stand along the route as the cars drive by and to attend the ceremony on the evening of Sept. 11.

The route begins at 9:11 a.m. at Ralph’s market parking lot in La Crescenta. (The route is pictured above.) The evening ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. at Bob Smith Toyota, 3333 Foothill Blvd.

For more information contact (818) 248-4957 or email office@crescentavalleychamber.org.

  Mary Okeefe