Tributes light the sky, and line the beach

      Unlike the shock, horror and sorrow residents carried with them to the scene that terrible September day, many came with children to share the event, and in some ways celebrate the memory of what was lost.
      Shortly after the distant slither of light was sent up into the clouds, the children were taken home, while small groups of people stayed behind to reflect.
      The pier will likely see a similar scene later this year as City of Long Beach officials move forward with plans to create a memorial at the site.
      "We're still trying to figure out what would be appropriate," said city spokesperson Matt Dwyer. "But the commitment is there to do something along the bayfront." West End residents are also hoping to honor the memory of victims with a garden along West Beech Street.
      In the meantime, city officials are expecting that a monument in tribute to the Sept. 11 rescue workers will be unveiled on Memorial Weekend at the Firemen's Memorial Plaza on Park Avenue. Officials will not giveaway the exact design of the monument, but said it will be of the same dimensions of the existing firemen's memorial. The later memorial honors three Long Beach firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty.
      "It will be tasteful," Dwyer said, "and will complement the existing memorial. It will be no higher and will not detract from the existing monument."
      The new memorial-which will honor the FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority Police-will stand back-to-back with the current one, and the landscaping will be redone to create an attractive, symmetrical area that will feature benches for visitors to sit and reflect.
      While the bayfront is a logical location for a second memorial, many victims of the Sept. 11 attack have already been honored by friends and family along the opposite shore, dedicating benches to their memory.
      Residents, such as Firefighter Michael Carlo, and beach lovers from elsewhere, like Jean Andrucki, Steve Strauss and Jacqueline Donovan, are remembered with memorial benches. Lifeguard Michael Kiefer's bench has hardly seen a day unadorned with flowers on his bench at Lincoln Beach, where he used to surf.
      "He fulfilled his calling and gave his very best," the plaque reads. Nearby, Stephen Hoffman is also remembered: "You could see him catching a wave in the mornin' light and sometimes you could find him on his board at night. A silhouette on water as the sun dips out of sight. Stephen's soul forever shines so bright."