Memorials in Dutchess County are on display to honor those lost in the 9/11 attacks as the 20th anniversary approaches.

A sea of 3,000 flags in Stanfordville stand for the Americans, first responders, and Port Authority K-9s that died in the 9/11 attacks.

Ed Zick and Evelyn Seipp, who are with the Stanford Fire Company, are once again displaying the fire department’s memorial after last year’s went viral.

"We lost so many innocent lives that were just going to work that day,” says Seipp.

Zick adds, “I lost a friend…Paul Tegtmeier. I worked with him for many, many years. And then he left where I worked to become a fireman down in New York City. And unfortunately, he perished in one of the towers."

This time, the department will have something special for Saturday’s ceremony.

"We will have 3,000 led candles on the hill, which should make everybody in the town and firehouse proud,” Zick says.

Seipp says, “We have a little different design for the tower this year, and they will be represented by red and blue lights. It is impossible to miss this dominating display outside Stanford Town Hall.”

In the center of it all is a tribute to Stanford firefighter Dennis Gilhooly, who didn't die in the attacks, but in 2019 from a 9/11-related illness.

The Pleasant Valley Library is also paying its own tribute with a display of several paper hearts.

Valerie Britton, from the library, cut out the hearts to signify a life lost in 9/11. Peter Klein, a Pleasant Valley resident and Britton’s friend, was one of the victims.

"Some people are like, ‘Did you really sit there and cut out 2,000?’ Yes, and it was not a chore. It was a labor of love for my friend Peter and everybody else on that day,” Britton says. “I would do it again, and I would put it up every year.”

Both displays will be up for the next few weeks.