Maine remembers 9-11

PORTLAND – Mainers remembered the Sept. 11 attacks with events ranging from an upbeat parade down Freeport’s Main Street to a somber ceremony marking the dedication of a memorial garden in Portland.

The garden being dedicated on the city’s Eastern Promenade featured plants from the garden of a Maine couple killed on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Jackie Norton, 61, and Robert Norton, 85, of Lubec were headed to California for her son’s wedding. The couple and five other people with ties to Maine were among more than 3,000 who died on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon outside Washington and in a Pennsylvania field.

In Portland, the memorial garden at Fort Allen Park overlooking Casco Bay features a marker engraved with all seven names. It is made from the same black granite used for the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington.

The memorial, the brainchild of a pair of gardeners from Portland and Scarborough, features poppies and hostas from Jackie Norton’s garden.

Events appeared to be more low-key on the second anniversary of the attacks, and most Mainers chose to go about their normal business.

Law enforcement agencies remained vigilant but there were no special precautions on the anniversary. Unlike last year, no flights were canceled at Portland International Jetport, a spokesman said.

In Freeport, hundreds of people waved flags during the freeform freedom parade that featured honking trucks, Humvees and a Pontiac painted in red, white and blue.

The crowd included chanting soldiers and sailors, along with students who missed some school to participate in the observance. Patriotic tunes blared from speakers perched atop an ice cream shop on the parade route.

“It really warms my heart to know that so many people do care and go out of their way to show their support,” said Joann Miller, one of the organizers.

In Augusta, Gov. John Baldacci held an outdoor ceremony at the Blaine House featuring an honor guard, bagpipe unit and choir.

Other events across Maine included the dedication of a plaque bearing the names of Maine’s Sept. 11 victims in Lewiston. Post offices observed 60 seconds of silence and many communities held vigils.

In Freeport, a number of soldiers who are preparing for possible deployment to Iraq were among the participants.

About 570 members of the 240th Engineering Group out of Augusta and the 133rd Engineer Battalion out of Gardiner are on a list of units that could be called up any day, officials say.

“Our duty is to support and defend this nation, and to know that people are coming out here and being true Americans is a good deal,” said Col. John Jansen, a soldier from the 133rd.