By Bill Petzold
Editor
CARO — A special tribute to area first responders such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel is planned for next weekend to coincide with the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City.
The Caro Roadhouse Museum, 235 S. Almer in Caro, will host a third annual special remembrance ceremony beginning at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, September 13, to honor the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for their fellow citizens and to remember those lives lost in New York.
The museum, at the corner of South Almer and South Congress streets in Caro, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The public is invited to visit and check out a display dedicated to Caro’s “hometown heroes,” with items from the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Department, Caro Police Department, Caro Fire Department, Mobile Medical Response ambulance and the Michigan State Police Caro Post. Lieutenant Brian Harris of the Sheriff’s Department also will have his personal collection of vintage police badges on display at the museum.
The Caro Historical Commission was officially added to Caro’s city charter earlier this year, and CHC chairman Gail Lesoski said that the 9/11 rememberance was the first of its kind in the county.
“One of our goals is to educate the public,” Lesoski said, noting the museum does not have any standard displays, opting instead for special events.
Lesoski said the event will feature a bagpiper who will play during the ceremony, which will begin with the Civil Air Patrol raising the flag. Tuscola County Advertiser editor Bill Petzold will serve as emcee for the event, which also will include an address from a chaplain of the Tuscola County Chaplains Corps. Representatives from the Sheriff’s Department, Caro Police Department and Caro Fire Department, MMR and MSP will be recognized, and Caro Police chief Brian Newcomb will present a memorial wreath.
Lesoski said last year MMR had an ambulance on hand and staff to give kids a tour of the ambulance and let them get a good close-up look at the tools EMTs use to do their jobs.
The Caro Historical Commission also is preparing to host its second annual Salute to Soldiers on November 8 and 9 at the Roadhouse Museum. More details about that event will be released in the near future.
For information, contact Gail Lesoski 673-5389.