Local residents seem to be in agreement that life hasn't changed much in Mercer County since Sept. 11. Most are planning to commemorate the day in a low-key way.

Sharon Ivey of Sharon said her life hasn't really changed since the terrorist attacks. Her cousin, Gail Ivey of Farrell, agreed, except that she says she often thinks about the day America was attacked by foreign terrorists.

Sharon Ivey was quick to agree with her cousin when she said, "I think about it a lot, especially when I hear a plane fly over low. I get kind of leery."

Farrell Fire Chief Joseph Santell said as a firefighter he's more cautious when going into burning buildings since Sept. 11. He said the collapse of the Twin Towers is in the back of many firefighters minds -- especially if they have to go into a commercial building -- even though the buildings around here are far smaller than those in large cities.

Santell said that thought faded for awhile but is coming back with the anniversary of the attacks and all of the media coverage.

Dave DeMasy of Farrell said his life hasn't changed very much but his attitude has changed some since the attacks. "I feel that I'm more humble because it didn't happen here," DeMasy said. "My heart goes out to those people (who were touched by the tragedy)."

Paula Clayton, Sandy Lake, said: "I think I appreciate things a lot more than I used to, like the little things my kids do every day. I also think we're a strong country. I don't think I realized that as much before."

Natalie Alexander, 19, of Sandy Lake said she thinks life is harder now. "I'm more grateful for what I do have," the recent graduate of Lakeview High School said.

"We had an exchange student last year, and taking her to the airport was so much harder than it was before," she noted.

Bill Minich, an Emlenton car salesman, said the events of Sept. 11 changed his life through his business and he thinks about the tragedy.

"I'm in retail sales and it has dropped off 25 percent and I don't think it matters what you are selling," he said. "Its just another day now. The damage is done. The people who did this will do damage just by making you think about it. They'll keep doing that damage every day by making you think about it."

Becca Irving, 11, a sixth-grader in Lakeview schools, said, "People have been a lot more afraid, but I am a little nervous because it happened. It's something really serious and people need to be aware of it. In some ways it makes people feel safer that we actually care about it."

At least one person doesn't feel safe with how our nation responded in the past year.

"I don't like the emphasis on nationalism," George Kafantaris of Warren, Ohio, said. "Sept. 11 brought in a strong nationalism and all the dangers that come with that. It seems that people are afraid to criticize anything the president and his staff are doing, even the media, and that's a very dangerous situation.

"I was numb the whole day (Sept. 11) when it happened, and I'll probably be numb that day (the first anniversary). I couldn't believe our country was so helpless. That feeling is something I won't forget," Kafantaris said.

Many local agencies and organizations are planning events to commemorate Sept. 11 but some local people are planning to pass the day quietly.

DeMasy said he thinks locally the anniversary of Sept. 11 should be commemorated through prayer services in churches at the time of the morning the attacks occurred.

Sharon and Gail Ivey and Lt. Keith Wareham, a Sharon firefighter, all said they would probably take time in the day for a word of prayer.

Gail Ivey said she would pray for children born after Sept. 11 who will never know their fathers.

"On Sept. 11 I'm going to be taking my son to his first day of preschool and remembering everyone who is not here," Ms. Clayton said.

Firefighters are being asked to make more appearances this year to commemorate the day, Wareham and Santell both said.

DeMasy and Santell both said they think the day should not be a holiday but should be commemorated like Pearl Harbor Day.

"It's going to be a day to remember for years, just like Roosevelt said -- 'infamy.' " Santell said.

Many people said the media coverage of the anniversary is too excessive. Wareham said the coverage may be too much for children who have to relive it every time they see the events of the day through media outlets.

DeMasy said he thinks media coverage of Sept. 11 and the anniversary has been good and not excessive.

Miss Alexander also said she doesn't think the news coverage is too much.

"I think people need to hear about it," she said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrrett@sharonherald.com or
Herald Staff Writer Sherris Moreira-Byers at sbyers@sharonherald.com.