North Logan • Steve Casquarelli was a firefighter at ground zero the day terrorists plowed planes into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.
This week, 23 years after the attack, he is in Cache Valley volunteering for a project aimed at keeping his and thousands of others’ stories alive.
“It was something you had to see and experience,” Casquarelli said. “It was overwhelming how much help and love and care that this country was laying out for us back home in New York City.”
That sense of togetherness can be felt by visitors to the Cache Valley Remembers 9/11 Project, which is open to the public through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at North Logan’s Hansen Sports Complex. The project — an immersive exhibit that takes an individual through the events leading up to the attacks and their aftermath — is made possible through community support, with more than 500 volunteers helping each year.
Casquarelli, who is now a retired firefighter, said he travels from New York to Utah annually to set up a photo display and to share “hours and hours” of stories.
“It’s a way for me to pay back,” Casquarelli said.
(Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune) Retired New York firefighter Steve Casquarelli with his Sept. 11, 2001 display at the Hansen Family Sports Complex on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Jennie Taylor, the executive director for the Major Brent Taylor Foundation, which organizes the event each year, believes looking to the past is essential in shaping the future. That’s why, three years ago, she came up with the idea for the project — a place where community members could reflect on what the tragedy meant then and what it means now. In previous years, the event has attracted 10,000 to 15,000 visitors. This year, more than 7,000 schoolchildren will be in attendance.
“As a country, we don’t know enough about our history to be able to pave a good path for our future,” Taylor said. “I think historically, it’s very important to educate ourselves, educate our children.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jennie Taylor stands as the American flag is presented in 2022.
In 2018, Taylor’s husband, Brent Taylor, a member of the Utah National Guard and former mayor of North Ogden, was killed in Afghanistan. To channel her grief, she started the foundation to honor her husband’s life and legacy. She said she didn’t want to stop there and decided to commemorate the attacks that took thousands of American lives.
The exhibit features videos, photos and audio telling hundreds of stories. First responders will be present to meet with the public.
“It’s an opportunity to interact with people who keep us free and safe while remembering what happened 20 years ago,” Taylor said. “But it’s not only what happened 20 years ago, it’s what still happens today.”