Tolland On 9/11: Displays Are Both Public And Personal

TOLLAND, CT — Tolland has its unique way of commemorating 9/11 in ways that stretch into something very public, very personal to the fire chief and even what has extended into a holiday tradition.

First, there is the 9/11 display on Merrow Road in front of the Morrison and Johnson Inc. auto repair shop. It's a multi panel display of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the brainchild of Glenn Johnson.

"It was about 15 years ago, on the 10th anniversary," Johnson said. "I said to myself I had to do something. I needed to do something to show respect."

It all took about seven months to fabricate.

Johnson went so far as to put the faces of the nearly 3,000 who perished from the attacks in the background of a Statue of Liberty depiction.

The display sits in front of a large American Flag placed in honor of Johnson's dad, George Johnson, who was a U.S. Marine who stormed enemy bunkers with a flame-thrower during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

But things quickly became more than a three-week display in September. Firefighters Doug Racicot and Jeff Ruest decorated a fire truck for a goodwill tour around town.

"They then asked me if I could make a sleigh," said Johnson, who has body work experience via his shop, plus his racing experience at Stafford Motor Speedway.

The Tolland holiday tour that benefits young residents was thus born. Johnson even plays Santa.

Residents can keep updated on Santa's path via the Tolland Fire Santa Tracker. Residents are encouraged to wait safely near the roadside with a flashlight so Santa and the crew can spot you along the neighborhood streets. The department collects unwrapped toys during the season to support children in need.

9/11 Is Personal For The Chief

Tolland Fire Chief John Littell has a fire hose nozzle that was pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center. It was hand-delivered to him by Tolland resident John Zevechkin, who owned Z's Antiques and also a company that performed work at Ground Zero.

"Looking at the makes it real," Littell said. "It always gets to me.

Littell said he and his fellow responders will also play two songs every Sept. 11 — "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."

"You can never forget," Littell said. "

Johnson had a moving experience Thursday.

"A teacher at UConn stopped the other day, Johnson said. "The gave me a hug an d thanked me. That makes it worth it. I had to do something to remember it all."