Community Corner

Locals Arrive in New York for 9/11 Ceremony

Linda Pasetti-Olson of Montgomery and Jennifer Wheeler of Naperville have made their way to New York, despite the best efforts of Tropical Storm Lee. Now they must prepare for their role in Sunday's 9/11 commemorative ceremony at Ground Zero.

It was a long and difficult ride, but Linda Pasetti-Olson and Jennifer Wheeler have arrived in New York.

The two motorcycle enthusiasts—Pasetti-Olson is from Montgomery, Wheeler from Naperville—left Illinois on Saturday morning, hoping to make the thousand-mile trip in three days. They planned a scenic route that would take them around Lake Erie, and through the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania. 

The two to join fellow members of the Motor Maids organization, who are taking part in the 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero on Sunday. The Motor Maids will escort members of the International Association of Fire Fighters to the ceremony.

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They had hoped to be in New York by Monday, or Tuesday at the latest. But they didn’t count on Tropical Storm Lee, which has been dousing the east coast in rain for days on end.

Pasetti-Olson said the rain began to fall on Saturday night, and didn’t let up for the rest of the trip. Additionally, the pair got separated near Scranton, New York, and Pasetti-Olson’s bike began acting up, and needed to be repaired. She ended up spending two days in a hotel in Pennsylvania, waiting for the repairs to be completed and the rain to let up.

Find out what's happening in Montgomerywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Finally, on Thursday, Pasetti-Olson made her way to her hotel in Newburgh, New York, and then to the city proper. She called Thursday afternoon, and began by saying this: “I’m sitting across the street from the 9/11 memorial.”

“It’s just awesome,” she said. “There’s still a lot of construction going on.”

Pasetti-Olson said she had already met a firefighter from Miami who will be part of Sunday’s ceremony. Most of the Motor Maids, she said, would be arriving on Friday, and she expects details on the ceremony and her role in it to be shared then.

In the meantime, she is enjoying her time in New York, as the pictures she sent show.

Stay tuned to Patch for further updates from Pasetti-Olson and Wheeler, and a story on their role in Sunday’s ceremony.


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