I fear that all I have done is awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.
— Admiral Yamamoto after the Pearl Harbor attack, Dec. 7, 1941

A strange day, this Sept. 11.

Whether you go about your business as if it were just another Wednesday, or choose to commemorate the date, the significance of the anniversary is inescapable.

Throughout the Bay area, there are numerous events — breakfasts, vigils, services — some of a somber nature, some hopeful, some lighthearted. The following are highlights of a few events worth considering.

At Florida International Museum, St. Petersburg firefighter Gerd Schuch and Lealman firefighter Tom Bruno share their experiences of rescue efforts at the site of the World Trade Center. Schuch and Bruno, who responded to pleas from relatives in New York City to help with search and rescue efforts, spent five days digging through rubble and debris, an experience after which, Schuch says, he will never be the same.

The program, Stories From Ground Zero, begins at 11 a.m. Florida International Museum, 100 Second St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-822-3693.

The Museum of Fine Arts shows continuous screenings of HBO's documentary In Memoriam: New York City, 9-11-01. The Emmy Award-nominated documentary presents a panoramic and historical record of the fateful day, following Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his staff from the moment they learn that a plane has struck the World Trade Center. At noon, there's a concert of patriotic music and spirituals in the Marly Room. And the Sweet Adelines International Gulf to Bay Chorus performs at 5 p.m. on the steps of the museum. Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg. 727-896-2667.

The Tampa Bay Concert Choir, under the direction of Frank M. Wells III, performs a memorial concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Octagon Arts Center. The concert opens with the premiere of 'American Testament," a work written by Wells in the aftermath of 9/11. The featured piece of the concert is Mozart's Requiem. Octagon Arts Center, 2470 Nursery Road, Clearwater. 727-531-7704.

This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2002.