This week marks the 25^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the following weeks, the Town Crier reported on the various responses of locals to the tragedy.

At first there was the eerie quiet as normal activities stopped and people were glued to their TVs. Soon people began to meet and talk with their neighbors and coworkers and find a way forward.

Local faith groups, including the Church of Religious Science, Chapel in the Pines, Idyllwild Bible Church, St Hugh of Lincoln Episcopal Church, and Shiloh Christian Ministries all held well attended services and many collected substantial amounts for the victims.

Idyllwild Fire Protection District set up fireman’s boots for donations in five locations and raised, by the 20^th, over $6,100 for the families of firefighters who had died or been injured in the response, the Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York Widows and Orphans fund.

Locals brought flags and candles downtown for a march and vigil on Friday night. Local supplies of flags were sold out.

The U.S. Forest Service District Ranger shared an article reporting on their agency’s response. Within two hours of the attacks, the California Interagency Incident Team were mobilized and ordered to Washington D.C. to support the response to the attack on the Pentagon. Their command post was fifty feet from the location where the plane hit the building. They took an active role in the search and efforts there alongside FEMA’s team.