MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine City Council will not meet on Thursday, September 11, 2025, in recognition of the many local observances planned for Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance.
The Council will reconvene on Thursday, Sept. 18, which will also mark the final Thursday meeting. At its September 4 session, the Council approved amendments to the Rules of Council, moving regular meetings to Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. (previously Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.). In-Depth sessions will no longer be held on a standing schedule but will be convened as needed.
Patriot Day Observances in Muscatine
The community is invited to participate in several events on September 11:
- Moment of Silence – 7:00 a.m. at the Muscatine Firefighters Memorial (East 5th and Cedar streets). This solemn ceremony honors the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, including 343 firefighters and 72 police officers.
- Memorial Stair Climb – 8:52 a.m. at the Muscatine High School football stadium. Participants will climb the stadium bleachers to symbolically complete the 110 stories (2,200 steps) of the World Trade Center, paying tribute to the courage of the FDNY firefighters who climbed toward danger to save others.
- 250th Anniversary of U.S. Armed Forces – 5:00 p.m. on the Muscatine Riverfront. Hosted by the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GMCCI), this ceremony will take place aboard the historic LST 325, the only operational World War II Landing Ship Tank still afloat in U.S. waters. Public tours of the vessel will be offered Sept. 9–15. A free concert will follow the ceremony at the Iowa Avenue entrance to Riverfront Park.
Additional Local Memorial Events
Two special ceremonies will also be held in Muscatine in the days following Patriot Day:
- Sunday, September 14, 7:00 a.m. – Memorial service at the Firefighters Memorial honoring Mike Kruse, the only Muscatine firefighter to die in the line of duty.
- Monday, September 15, 12:00 p.m. – Ribbon cutting and dedication of Kruse Memorial Park, a new pocket park at 6th and Orange streets, located on the site of the 1990 fire that claimed Kruse’s life. The park is part of the Ignite Vitality: Mulberry Project.