WACO, Texas – McLennan County first responders and law enforcement will gather Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack.

Event organizer Stan Parker says he still remembers his feelings from this tragic day.

“Everybody knows where they were and what was going on,” Parker said. “The biggest thing was just that hurt feeling that I couldn’t fight back. I wanted to try to enact some revenge.”

As a way to honor the lives lost, the Stan C. Parker Foundation is hosting a free community 9/11 ceremony. Parker says he does not want the community to forget about this day.

“America’s the best place in the world, and we’re proud to live here,” Parker said. “We need to show pride and show that respect to those people that work for us.”

The event will be held in the parking lot of the Lee Lockwood Library & Museum, with McLennan first responders and law enforcement in attendance.

Parker says there will be around 20 fire departments with trucks, a huge flag donated by Volkswagen, and helicopters.

“We’re going to follow the timeline. And we’ve got a bell that is a quarter scale of the Liberty Bell,” Parker said. “We are ringing it for every impact and every collapse as the day goes through the timeline.”

He says he would not have been able to put the program together without the help of other local partners in the community. Museum Coordinator Brenda Light says she is happy to be a part of bringing the event together for the community to never forget 9/11.

“Whether they were on that plane, at the Pentagon, in the Towers, or even just first responders that may have died from that,” Light said. “You have to think about the people that had to carry on – the moms, dads siblings, etc.”

Marine Veteran Austin Parker says it’s important for Americans to remember how we got to where we are now.

“It’s important to remember, because it can happen again. The world is pretty crazy right now,” Austin said. “Just stay vigilant, and remember that we came together after this happened. And we can come together again.”

The ceremony starts at 7:00 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be served to those who attend. No pre-registration is required.