Hastings to Commemorate 9/11
Join local first responders, Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home, the City of Hastings and the Hastings Museum on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, as we come together throughout the day to remember and honor those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, and recognize the courage and sacrifice of first responders.
The day begins at 9:15 a.m. at Hastings College with an emergency vehicle apparatus display, followed by a special ceremony at 10 a.m. at Lloyd Wilson Field. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the Hastings Fire & Rescue Facebook page.
The ceremony is being held in a larger, outdoor setting in Lloyd Wilson Field, 1000 E. 12th St., as a special observance of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Tri-Cities Lifenet Air Ambulance will provide a flyover.
Lynn Farrell Arena, adjacent to Lloyd Wilson, will serve as the alternate location in the event of inclement weather.
Participating entities include Hastings Fire & Rescue and HFR Honor Guard, Hastings Police Department, 911 Dispatch, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Rural Volunteer Fire Department, Juniata Volunteer Fire Department, Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office, Mary Lanning Healthcare and Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home.
Colors will be posted and the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited.
Lloyd Mueller, Lincoln Fire Battalion Chief, will provide the address.
There will be readings representing crashes into the North World Trade Center building, South World Trade Center building and Pentagon; South Tower collapse; crash near Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and North Tower collapse. Hastings Mayor Jay Beckby will provide the opening remarks to the readings.
Rev. Eddie Goff, who is chaplain for the Hastings Fire and Police Departments, will provide the opening and closing prayers.
Then, that evening, Central Nebraska First Responders will lead a stair climb and community walk at Highland Park and the Hastings Museum.
The evening event begins at 5:30 p.m., at the Hastings Museum with food trucks and an emergency vehicle static display. Explore emergency vehicles and equipment up close and learn more about the vehicles local first responders use to help keep our community safe. Registration for the Stair Climb and Community Walk will also take place in this area.
As part of registration, each participant will receive an ID badge honoring a fallen firefighter. Participants will carry the badge as a way to remember and honor that individual throughout the stair climb or community walk.
At 6 p.m., Hastings Museum Director Teresa Kreutzer-Hodson will welcome participants, followed by a musical performance from the Zion Classic Academy Children’s Choir.
At 6:15 p.m., participants can take part in the Stair Climb or Community Walk. Choose to climb 110 stories, representing the height of the World Trade Center Twin Towers, or participate for 69 minutes, representing the time between the collapse of the South and North Towers. Firefighters are welcome to complete the stair climb in SCBA and bunker gear.
Community members can participate by walking the route inside the Hastings Museum or joining the community walk around Highland Park. You do not have to participate in the stair climb to be part of the evening.
The evening concludes with a free showing of "9/11 Stories in Fragments" at 8 p.m. in the Lied Super Screen Theatre. This documentary explores the Sept. 11 attacks through personal, everyday objects donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Concessions will be available for purchase.
The morning and evening events are both free and open to everyone.