—Brent D. Wistrom/The Star’s Topeka correspondent
TOPEKA — A modest memorial in downtown Anthony for the victims of Sept. 11 is now the state’s official place to remember that tragic day.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill today that made the small southeast Kansas town’s memorial the state’s official site.
“The people of Anthony came together to create this memorial,” Sebelius said in a media release. “It’s a great example of the spirit of community that brought us together after the 9/11 attacks, and it’s appropriate we honor that spirit by designating this as Kansas’ official 9/11 memorial.”
The memorial incorporates steel from the twin towers, limestone from the Pentagon and dirt from the Pennsylvania field where a third hijacked plane crashed.
It was built for about $80,000, which residents raised by selling brownies, T-shirts and inscribed bricks built into the sidewalk leading to the display.
To learn more about the memorial go to: www.9-11memorialanthonyks.org.
—Brent D. Wistrom/The Star’s Topeka correspondent