This September marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and communities across Maryland are holding ceremonies to mark the milestone. Below is a county-by-county look at the state’s dedicated 9/11 memorials and the events confirmed so far for 2026, along with where information has not yet been made public.
“Twenty-five years later, Maryland’s remembrance of September 11 is spread across memorials, fire stations, parks, stadiums and small community ceremonies.”
Statewide and Central Maryland
Baltimore City — The 9/11 Memorial of Maryland sits in the plaza of Baltimore’s World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt St. Three 22-foot steel columns from the Twin Towers rest on a stone base inscribed with the names and birthdates of the Marylanders killed that day, alongside limestone from the Pentagon and granite honoring Flight 93. Each September 11, the World Trade Center building’s shadow moves across engraved timeline marks like a sundial. The city has historically held its ceremony here at 8:30 a.m., with the mayor and first responders in attendance and a moment of silence around 8:45-8:46 a.m. A 2026-specific announcement has not yet been posted. Separately, the Baltimore 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation event, is confirmed for Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at M&T Bank Stadium (1101 Russell St.), with registration at 7:30 a.m., an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m., and the climb beginning at 9 a.m. Participants climb the stadium stands the equivalent of 110 stories, carrying a photograph of a firefighter who died on 9/11.
Baltimore County — Firefighters and police officers have historically gathered at 2325 Putty Hill Ave. in Parkville at 8:46 a.m. to toll a remembrance bell, traditionally 424 times, for the county’s fallen service members, as part of the Hope and Peace Foundation’s “Bells of Remembrance Ceremony.” The same organization also runs the “Spirits in the Night” candlelight vigil, historically held at 6:45 p.m. at the Putty Hill Shopping Center (2531 Putty Hill Ave.), and the 15th annual Path of Honor, confirmed for Sept. 10–14, 2026, in which volunteers place 2,977 American flags along Putty Hill Avenue between Old Harford and Harford roads — one for each life lost on 9/11. No 2026-specific notice for the bell ceremony or vigil found yet.
Montgomery County / Rockville — A ceremony marking the 25th anniversary is confirmed for Friday, Sept. 11, 9 a.m., at Courthouse Square Park (East Jefferson Street and Maryland Avenue, Rockville). The park’s memorial, commissioned by the Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council, includes 11 benches — one for each of the 11 county residents killed on 9/11 — arranged around a grassy area, with a plaque bearing their names. The ceremony is free and open to the public and will include a presentation of colors and remarks from city and county leaders.
Howard County — Historically, a wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremony has been held at 8:46 a.m. at the Garden of Hope, Centennial Park South (10000 MD-108, Ellicott City), led by the county executive alongside police and fire leadership, honoring the four Howard County residents killed. No 2026-specific notice found yet.
Anne Arundel County — The county’s 9/11 Memorial, which incorporates actual steel beams from the World Trade Center, sits outside police headquarters at 8495 Veterans Highway, Millersville. It was dedicated Sept. 11, 2010. The Police and Fire Departments have historically held a joint ceremony there at 9 a.m. As of this writing, no 2026-specific date has been posted by the county. Annapolis does not appear to hold a separate city-level memorial ceremony; residents are served by the county’s Millersville event. Separately, the Annapolis 9/11 Heroes Run, a 5K organized by the Travis Manion Foundation, is confirmed for Sunday, Sept. 13, 11 a.m., at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with packet pickups beginning Sept. 10.
Carroll County — The Carroll County Public Safety Training Center 9/11 Memorial, 50 Kate Wagner Road, Westminster, has hosted an annual ceremony every year since at least 2022, historically at 8:30 a.m., including remarks from county officials, an invocation, an 8:46 a.m. moment of silence, a wreath-laying, and the posting and retiring of the colors by the Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard. No 2026-specific notice found yet.
Towson (Baltimore County) — The Hope and Peace Foundation’s “2,987 Steps Memorial 9/11 Walk” is confirmed for Saturday, Sept. 6, 2026, at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University. Gates open at 7:15 a.m., with the walk — five laps around the stadium track, symbolizing the 2,987 lives lost — beginning at 8:46 a.m. Proceeds benefit scholarship funds named for Towson University graduate Elizabeth “Lizz” Wainio, who died aboard Flight 93, and other local victims connected to Towson and Loyola Blakefield.
Harford County / Darlington — The Hope and Peace Foundation’s 15th Annual 9/11 Patriot Day Ride, billed as Maryland’s largest 9/11 remembrance event, is confirmed for Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, 8 a.m.–1 p.m., beginning at Darlington Volunteer Fire Company (2600 Castleton Road) and ending in Parkville. The police-escorted, fire-supported ride covers 29 miles and includes moments of silence at the key times of the attacks and a reading of the names of the 74 Marylanders killed on 9/11.
Statewide route (multi-day) — The 9.11 Promise Run, a long-running national relay event, sends teams of runners roughly 240 miles from the Pentagon to Ground Zero in New York, with the route passing through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and the University of Maryland; a companion 9.11 Promise Bike ride runs separately from the Pentagon toward the Flight 93 Memorial in Bedford, Pa. The organization has announced a larger commemorative version for the 25th anniversary, spanning more than 200 miles in relay fashion. Exact 2026 dates and routing through Maryland were not confirmed at the time of writing.
University of Baltimore — The 9/11 Memorial Garden, at 1404 Maryland Ave. in Baltimore’s Mid-Town Belvedere neighborhood, was dedicated by the university in 2002 to members of its community lost that day.
Frederick County and Western Maryland
Frederick County — Memorial events are planned for Friday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m., at Fort Detrick, tied to the National Fallen Firefighters Association’s 25th-anniversary programming, with the Frederick County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association partnering with the City of Frederick. Separately, the 2026 Frederick 9/11 Memorial Climb is set for Thursday, Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m., at Nymeo Field, Harry Grove Stadium (21 Stadium Drive, Frederick) — a fundraiser for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in which participants climb the equivalent of the World Trade Center’s 110 stories. This event is held later in the month, not on the anniversary itself.
Emmitsburg (Frederick County) — The National Emergency Training Center is home to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and “To Lift a Nation,” a 40-foot bronze monument dedicated to those who served during and after the 9/11 attacks.
Washington County / Hagerstown — The county’s “Remembrance in the Park” ceremony is confirmed for Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, 6 p.m., at the Washington County Emergency Services Tribute Gardens in Hagerstown City Park (501 Virginia Avenue). The county has explicitly noted the 25th anniversary’s significance in its announcement. The Tribute Gardens memorial is built around a 727-pound piece of World Trade Center steel, dedicated in 2011, alongside a tree planted in honor of a Washington County Marine killed in Afghanistan. The event is sponsored jointly by Washington County Emergency Management, the Board of County Commissioners, and the City of Hagerstown.
Allegany County / Cumberland — Cumberland hosts a local connector point on the 9/11 National Memorial Trail (13 Canal Street), a nationally designated trail linking the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93 memorial sites. No dedicated standing 9/11 memorial or annual local ceremony was found for Allegany County.
Garrett County — No dedicated memorial or ceremony surfaced in reporting; this county was not independently searched and warrants a direct check.
Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland
Talbot County / Easton — The town has historically held “A Day to Remember” at the corner of West and Dover Streets, 8:30 a.m., followed by an art show at the Talbot County Free Library. No 2026-specific notice found yet.
Wicomico County / Salisbury — A 25th Anniversary September 11 Remembrance Ceremony is confirmed for Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m., at Salisbury Fire Department Headquarters, Station 16 (325 Cypress St.). The roughly 30-minute ceremony will include a presentation of colors, the national anthem, an invocation, and remarks from city and public safety officials. As part of the 25th-anniversary observance, the fire department will ring its ceremonial bell 25 times — one toll for each year since the attacks.
Worcester County / Ocean City — Ocean City’s Firefighter’s Memorial, at North Division Street and the Boardwalk, includes an actual piece of World Trade Center steel girder. The town has held an annual ceremony there for at least two decades, including a motorcycle procession down the Boardwalk, six moments of silence marking the day’s key events, and remarks from local officials; a 2013 news account described that year’s parade as the ninth annual, putting the tradition’s start around 2005. The town also runs a “Remembrance Beams of Light” display, projecting vertical light beams from the memorial nightly in the days surrounding the anniversary — a recurring feature confirmed in past years, though specific 2026 dates were not found. No 2026-specific ceremony date has posted yet, but given the long-running pattern, a ceremony is highly likely to be held on or near Sept. 11. No dedicated memorial or ceremony was found for Worcester County outside Ocean City.
Cecil County — The Cecil County Public Library is hosting Maryland’s 9/11 Rolling Memorial in September 2026 (specific date pending; listed at 3 p.m.), as part of Maryland’s 250th-anniversary programming.
Prince George’s County — The 9/11 Memorial Park, near the entrance to Bladensburg Waterfront Park and the Peace Cross, was dedicated Sept. 11, 2006. It features a brick walkway lined with white crepe myrtle trees, one for each of the county’s residents killed, and a granite marker reading, “Prince George’s, Maryland honors those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.” The county’s Fire/EMS Department has historically encouraged public visitation on the anniversary. No 2026-specific ceremony date has been found for the Bladensburg site itself, but two other county communities have confirmed 25th-anniversary ceremonies: the City of Bowie is holding a ceremony Friday, Sept. 11, 9–10:30 a.m., at Allen Pond Park (3330 Northview Drive), including remarks from Bowie City Council and county leaders, an honor guard presentation, and a silent commemorative walk around Allen Pond; and the City of Laurel is holding a ceremony Friday, Sept. 11, 6–8 p.m., in the Chambers at the Laurel Municipal Center (8103 Sandy Spring Road).
Charles County — No dedicated memorial or annual ceremony found.
St. Mary’s County — No dedicated memorial or annual ceremony found.
Calvert County — Calvert County Fire-Rescue-EMS is holding a 9/11 Memorial & Remembrance Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, 6 p.m., at Calvert Elks Lodge #2620, 1015 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick. The county’s own announcement describes it as open to Calvert County Fire-Rescue-EMS providers, rather than a general public event.
Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Dorchester, and Somerset counties — No dedicated memorials or 2026 ceremony announcements surfaced in reporting. Kent and Queen Anne’s were searched directly; Caroline, Dorchester, and Somerset have not yet been independently checked and should not be read as confirmed gaps.
A Traveling Memorial
Maryland is also home to a mobile tribute: Maryland’s 9/11 Rolling Memorial, known as the Hope and Peace Float, created by the Baltimore-based Hope and Peace Foundation and unveiled on the 15th anniversary of the attacks in 2016. Built around a 1918 McShane Foundry bell cast in Baltimore, along with steel from the North Tower and stone from the Pentagon, the memorial carries four bronze plaques bearing the names of Maryland’s victims and has appeared at more than 200 events across Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. It continues to travel to schools, libraries, and community events throughout the state, including a stop planned at the Cecil County Public Library this September.
Editor’s note: This article will be updated as more information on 2026 ceremonies becomes available.
Sources: Maryland Historical Marker Database; City of Rockville; City of Salisbury; Washington County, Md. government; Carroll County government; Anne Arundel County government; City of Bowie / Eventbrite; City of Laurel; Calvert County Fire-Rescue-EMS; National Fallen Firefighters Foundation / firehero.org; Hope and Peace Foundation; Travis Manion Foundation; Visit Baltimore; Baltimore Sun; Baltimore Times; CBS News Baltimore; Fox Baltimore; WJLA; DC News Now; Coast TV; Frederick County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association; Cecil County Public Library; Nottingham MD; Patch (Bowie, Bel Air); Harford’s Heart Magazine; Wikipedia entries for individual Maryland counties.
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