Hauppauge's Rolling 9/11 Tribute Heads to Ground Zero This December
A memorial van built in Hauppauge is set for a trip downtown this December. The vehicle carries painted portraits and imagery tied to the September 11 attacks, and later this year it will carry a wreath to Ground Zero in memory of the New York City police officers who lost their lives that morning twenty five years ago.
The project came together over the past year, led by a Hauppauge resident who has spent decades tied to the local fire department, going back to a grandfather who helped start it in the 1930s. The van's artwork points to two NYPD detectives who died on 9/11 and to dozens more who have died since from illnesses connected to their work at the site. After the December visit to Manhattan, the van is expected to come back home and sit outside the firehouse when Hauppauge holds its own 9/11 remembrance.
It says something about this stretch of Smithtown that a tribute like this gets built here and then travels back to be shown at a local ceremony. Curious what else is happening around Hauppauge this fall? Take a look at Greater Long Island for their coverage, or browse the /towns/ guide to see what makes this part of Smithtown feel like home.