LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 118th Kentucky State Fair opens Aug. 18 and runs until Aug. 28. New this year is a mobile exhibit called “9/11 Never Forget,” which pays tribute to first responders who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 and all who continue to lose their lives to 9/11-related illnesses.
Steel beams from the Twin Towers will be on display, along with other artifacts found in the rubble post-9/11. In addition, four retired New York Fire Department (NYFD) firefighters will be there to give guided tours and provide firsthand accounts of what that harrowing day was like.
When Billy Puckett isn’t speaking about the mobile 9/11 Never Forget exhibit, he is driving it, since he is the exhibit’s field manager.
“And to have two towers that were 110 stories tall, each floor being an acre, to find some of the little small articles is pretty amazing,” he said, regarding the exhibit’s artifacts from that day on display.
Louisville gave a warm welcome to the attraction, with local first responders guiding the mini museum-on-wheels to its new home until Aug. 28 at the Kentucky State Fair.
“Other than the day my two kids were born, this is the greatest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Puckett said.
Puckett is a retired firefighter from Plano, Texas. He told Spectrum News 1 he has volunteered to drive this exhibit across the country for eight years, which has traveled to 46 states, educating over one million people about that harrowing day.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation created the exhibit. The foundation was started by family members of Stephen Siller, a New York City firefighter who was off to play golf with his brothers after finishing his shift the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. However, when he heard the news, he rushed to meet his squad to help.
“When the South Tower collapsed, unfortunately, the entire squad plus Stephen lost their lives that day, and Stephen’s remains were never recovered,” Puckett explained.
Money raised from the exhibit and annual fundraising events are used to pay off the mortgages for Gold Star and fallen first responder families, and it also goes toward other supported programs.
“We have a Smart Home program where we build special adaptive, computerized homes for our amputee military veterans and in Mayfield, Kentucky the very first one in Kentucky is being built right now,” Puckett said.
The number one goal, Puckett said, is to educate the public, especially today’s youth who were born after 9/11.
The 9/11 Never Forget exhibit will be open every day from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Kentucky State Fair. The exhibit is located in the big parking lot between the midway and the Kentucky Expo Center.