Nesconset Park Adds Another Year of Names to Its 9/11 Wall
Every September, families gather at the park off Gibbs Pond Road built specifically to hold the names of first responders touched by 9/11. This past weekend marked the fifteenth time organizers held the naming ceremony, and more than 100 additional names went up on the wall this year. Some belonged to people who died on the day itself. Most belonged to responders who spent time at ground zero and got sick years or even decades later.
The park exists because a former responder wanted a physical place where that second wave of loss would not be forgotten once the anniversaries got further apart. Families come back year after year, some to see a parent's or spouse's name added for the first time, others just to stand there and mark the day. With the 25th anniversary of the attacks approaching, the crowd this year understood that the list is still growing.
You can find the story from News 12 Long Island here.
Nesconset is a quiet corner of Smithtown to plant roots in, memorials and all. If you are curious what else sits nearby, the town guide at /towns/ is worth a look.