09/12/2026
Today, members of the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department, along with neighboring departments and community supporters, gathered at the Blacksburg High School Football Stadium for the Blacksburg 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.
Together, participants took on the challenge of climbing 2,071 stairs, the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers, to honor the 343 firefighters, 71 law enforcement officers, 55 military personnel, and thousands of innocent lives lost on September 11, 2001.
A special thank you to Kelli Earls Marquez for organizing this incredible event and bringing our community together to preserve the promise to Never Forget. We also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Corinth VFD Chief Dwight Easler for serving as today’s guest speaker and sharing inspiring words during the kick-off ceremony.
Thank you to every firefighter, first responder, family member, and citizen who came out to climb, cheer, donate, and remember. All proceeds raised directly support the four local volunteer stations serving Blacksburg— Antioch, Blacksburg, Buffalo, and CKC Volunteer Fire Departments.
We climb because they climbed. We remember, today and always.
