September 11, 2001, is a date that Millennials and anyone older will remember without any prompting. Yet, as time passes, generations of Americans are learning about the September 11 attacks secondhand, and that’s where Marshfield Mayor Natalie McNish takes special interest.
Mayor McNish, along with several others in the community, started the Marshfield Remembers event in 2021 to keep the memory alive and ‘never forget’. “The only way we can do that is if we are continually educating our next generations,” reflected Mayor McNish when asked why she continues to work on this event each year. “Being 25 years out, there are a large number of the students who will be coming through, who are doing various projects within this event, whose parents will not have a great understanding of the impacts of 9/11.”
“It’s really a community effort; our street department will start building the memorial right after Labor Day, including placing 2,977 flags for each life lost. We have a unique design this year that commemorates the 25th anniversary,” explained Mayor McNish.
Mayor McNish has been working closely with the Marshfield Schools for several projects. “One of those includes field trips for the sixth graders who will come over and get to see the video, walk through a tour of the memorial, and get some interaction from that.”
There will be artwork displayed from the elementary schools, along with projects from the 6th graders, and the FFA will assist in helping install flags for the memorial. Tours will be done in the morning at the site, and then at night will be the tribute.
“The tribute will begin at 8 pm. As the lights come up, the Marshfield High School choir will perform the National Anthem along with other patriotic songs, followed by an invitation by Marshfield Police Officer Josh Burris,” detailed Mayor McNish. “Then…well, the thing I really love about this event is we don’t do a program. The reason I love that is that the number of people you meet, the number of people that have their own story about what 9/11 means to them-is the point of doing this. There’s about an hour of time where people are encouraged to go watch the videos, wander through the memorial…talk to people, share stories, explain to someone younger than you why this matters.”
At the end of the evening, the Marshfield Fire Protection District will toll the bell to honor the 343 lost firefighters, followed by the playing of taps performed by Dr. John Prescott.
“I’m a retired music professor from Missouri State University. I’ve played in the taps project that they have at MSU for Veterans Day every year since they started it in 2008,” shared Dr. John Prescott. “When we got the call for someone to play, I said I’ll do it if no one else wants to-I don’t like to hog the limelight. They decided they wanted me to do it. It’ll be the first time I’ve played the Marshfield event.”
“On 9/11 of 2001, I was serving as department head of music at MSU. I had an early morning class…I had an 8:00 am ear training class…When I came out of class, I went back to the music office, and the administrative assistant said, ‘Something has happened-a plane has hit a building,’ and then, of course, it got worse,” reflected Dr. Prescott.
Dr. Prescott shared that he will be playing a bugle for the event, which is how it’s traditionally played in the military, though he admits to having no military experience.
“When I play, especially at the Veterans Day event, I think of my father who was in the military in WWII…I think of him, and I hear his voice before I get ready to play, and what he’s saying is ‘don’t miss any notes’,” Dr. Prescott shared with a laugh.
“I’m really honored to be a part of it (Marshfield Remembers), and to be able to contribute in a way that is meaningful for such an important event-no matter how many years pass, you still have that same feeling you had when you saw it…”
To end the event, once the final note is played, the lights will fall, and there will be a moment of silence.
“There’s a curveball this year though; there will also be a home football game,” shared Mayor McNish. “That means that those who are at the game are going to be able to take part in our event while still supporting the sports teams-they will be able to see those lights…we’ve been able to coordinate with Ronda Hubbard and Coach Nate Thomas so that we can intertwine some pictures on the scoreboard and a few messages throughout the game, along with a moment of silence at the field.”
For anyone interested in attending, the Marshfield Remembers event is held at Patriot Park, also known as the city pool, located at 1490 N. Elm Street, Marshfield, MO. The event is free to the public.
“There are a lot of people who help out with this,” expressed Mayor McNish with gratitude. “Sign Effex has always helped us with banners…this year we have requested and received sponsorships from four different architect/engineering firms that do a lot of work in Marshfield: Great River Engineering, Crawford Murphy Tilly, SAPP Design and Architecture, and TOTH.”
