Governor Encourages People To Attend 'Colorado Remembers' Ceremony
DENVER (CBS4) - Gov. John Hickenlooper says the drive behind the Colorado Remembers 9/11 anniversary event in Denver this weekend is hope and determination.
The event starts on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Civic Center Park and starts out with several moments of reflection.
"Colorado Remembers is going to be a remembrance ceremony that's going to remember those people who lost their lives at 9/11 but also those people who have lost them since in Afghanistan and Iraq," Hickenlooper said in an interview on the CBS4 Morning News.
"It also pays tribute to those on active duty today all the way through the people at the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the Colorado State Patrol, local police."
The event also features the Beach Boys, Tyler Ward and the Colorado Symphony and the Colorado Children's Chorale.
Hickenlooper says he hopes the event will have a celebratory tone while still honoring the victims.
"The transition will be a from somber ceremony towards demonstrating that America is back, while we have to remember and be vigilant and keep our eyes open, that we're not going to compromise our lives, that terrorists aren't going to keep us from being America."
Hickenlooper said the event will try to focus on the positive.
"Our will to succeed, our will to demonstrate again that America is again the No. 1 country on Earth. That's part of what we want to get people to remember as well."
"I think part of what threatens terrorists is our freedoms and the fact that we are able to go out enjoy our lives and go where we want to go when we want to go there, we don't want to let terrorists think that they have succeeded in that," he said.
The governor says he thinks the state has made great strides when it comes to security improvements in the past 10 years.
"We have a lot more vehicles and buildings in preparation for an emergency. In the bottom of Denver City Hall there is a facility that we put in place for the (Democratic National Convention) that allows all the different first responders and federal security agencies to communicate and be in the same place in a command center should the need arise.
Hickenlooper says there is still a challenge for all Americans to be vigilant about safety.
"The challenges face all of us, it's not just the state government, it's individuals paying attention. I'm as worried about a pipe bomb getting smuggled as I am about a small plane carrying a full load of fuel or some other explosive.
"Those small encounters, if you look at those times we've interceded and stopped terrorist attacks -- it's almost always in the last several years ... been citizens paying attention. They weren't fearful, they weren't being nervous and anxious, they were just paying attention and they reported something that didn't look right, they reported it and we took care of it."
Mayor Michael Hancock will co-host the free event with Hickenlooper on Sunday.
Complete Event Information: CivicCenterConservancy.org
Denver Street Closures
Several streets in downtown Denver will be closed on Sunday during the "Colorado Remembers 9/11" event.
In preparation for the event, the following street closures will be in effect:
-The 1400 Block of Bannock Street will be closed from 6:00 am on September 10th until 12:00 pm on September 12th.
-The 1300 Block of Bannock Street Northbound will be closed from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm on September 11th.
-The 000-200 Block of West 14th Avenue will be closed from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm on September 11th.
-Broadway will be closed at 19th Avenue, 18th Avenue, and 17th Avenue starting at 10:00 am on September 11th.
-Eastbound and Westbound Colfax Avenue will be closed from Cherokee Street to Lincoln Street starting at 10:00 am on September 11th.
-Both the Colfax and Broadway closures will be re-opened at 6:00 pm on September 11th.
