Owensboro residents will walk once again on September 11 to honor first responders and victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks, as the 24th annual Freedom Walk goes from Fire Station No. 1 to the First Responders Memorial downtown.
The walk will begin at 11 a.m. Organizer Pam Smith-Wright said this year’s walk will be “sponsored by the community,” a change from past years when the AMVETS Post 119 Ladies Auxiliary was listed as sponsor. Smith-Wright started the event while serving as president of the auxiliary; the post has since closed.
“We have people who have shown up every single year, and it truly has become a community effort,” Smith-Wright said.
Lou Drawdy, a retired Marine who leads the local Marine Corps League and coordinates the Toys for Tots program, will serve as the guest speaker. Smith-Wright said Drawdy is a familiar face at veteran-focused efforts such as Operation Full Pack, a monthly food-box program for veterans.
High school JROTC color guards from Apollo, Daviess County, and Owensboro high schools plan to participate. The Daughters of the American Revolution and local residents have also been regulars in recent years.
Smith-Wright said the walk covers a few blocks and typically takes about 15 minutes; a brief program of roughly the same length follows at the memorial. Smith-Wright encouraged residents to join on their lunch hour to honor first responders and the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“We even kept walking during COVID,” Smith-Wright said. “We just want as many people as possible to come out and show respect.”
Smith-Wright said organizers would like to recognize anyone in the Owensboro area with a direct connection to 9/11.
“If someone here has a tie to that day, we’d love to know,” she said.
