With the anniversary of the tragic Sept. 11 acts of terrorism upcoming, the thoughts of many of many all over the nation will revert back to that tragic day, and there is little doubt that many cities and states across the nation will also have special remembrances and poignant observances in memory of those who perished in the terrorist attacks.

The City of Andalusia is no different.

Mayor Earl Johnson recently announced that there will be a public ceremony on Sept.11 at noon on the courthouse square in remembrance of the attacks which occurred in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C., and shook the nation.

"There will be some public officials (at the ceremony) and there will be some ministers there as well to participate in (the observance)," said Johnson during the City of Andalusia council meeting Tuesday night.

"We would like to invite everyone to come out. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the event as I will be out of town, but I will be calling on some (of the members of the Andalusia City Council) to step in and help out and I would appreciate them doing that."

Johnson has said that there will also be a religious service following the public ceremony, and that anyone who desires to attend that ceremony is welcome.

"September 11, 2001, will forever be marked in American history as a day of great tragedy, not only for the thousands who lost their lives or their loved ones in those unimaginable acts of terror, but also because of the impact on the collective psychic of all Americans and the inevitable changes in our lifestyle," said Johnson. "We are only one year removed from the tragedy, but our previous held feelings of isolation from the evil world of terrorists seem a distant memory. It is a certainty that we have not witnessed the last of these terrorist attacks, and it is this certainty that we must deal with as long as hatred, intolerance and religious fanaticism exist anywhere in the world."