The Count Basie Center Gospel Choir will join the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and the Monmouth County Park System for a time of reflection and remembrance this Sunday during a memorial to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The ceremony will take place this Sunday, Sept. 11 at 9AM at the Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook, 460 Ocean Boulevard in Atlantic Highlands. Persons wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Lauren Bumbera via email or by phone at 732-431-7396, or Danielle Banyacski via email or 732-431-8559.

“The Board of County Commissioners would like to invite everyone to join us as we remember those who lost their lives during and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,” said Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone in a statement. “On that tragic day, 147 Monmouth County families lost loved ones and it is our duty to remember those who lost their lives and continue to offer our support to their families.”

“Mount Mitchill is home to the Monmouth County’s 9/11 Memorial which is a tribute to the 147 men and women who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks,” said Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System, in a statement. “The path leading to the memorial chronicles the events of that day and at the center is the light stone sculpture of any eagle by local artist Franco Minervini. This eagle grasps a beam from the World Trade Center. It is a fitting tribute and our way of honoring those who lost their lives that day.”

At 266 feet, this overlook in Atlantic Highlands sits on the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic seaboard (excluding islands) from Maine to the Yucatan providing beautiful views of Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline. This 12-acre site is also home to Monmouth County’s 9/11 Memorial.

In 2002, the Monmouth County 9/11 Committee formed and began making plans for a fitting tribute to the victims, heroes, and events of September 11th. The group’s first responsibility was to select a memorial to fit into Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook.

The 9/11 ceremony is the latest public performance for the Count Basie Center Gospel Choir, assembled in 2020 under the direction of Music Director Gwen Moten and assistant music director B. Dexter Allgood. For more information on the gospel choir, visit www.thebasie.org/gospel.