Johnny Ferry, a board member of the Major Brent Taylor Foundation, told the Utah County Commission that the foundation will bring a free, weeklong interactive 9/11 exhibit to the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds and will bus more than 10,000 students from grade school through high school for guided visits.

The presentation matters because the exhibit is designed both as an educational program for students who did not live through the attacks and as a tribute to local and national first responders. Ferry said the event will include a walk-through multimedia display, a “subway tunnel” section that recreates the suddenness of the attacks, and a parking-lot “touch a truck” activity for families.

Ferry described the event layout and schedule to commissioners, saying, “We’re free. It’s all free to the public. You don't pay for it. It's 9AM to 9PM,” and that the exhibit runs Wednesday through Saturday during the week it is staged. He said the installation uses roughly 400 framed display boards, more than 1,000 images, 24 video screens and movie screens to walk visitors from local scenes in Utah County to the national events in New York.

The foundation plans a heavy volunteer and sponsorship model to stage the exhibit. Ferry said the project typically requires about 500 volunteers for build, operation and teardown, and he asked local businesses and civic groups to consider sponsorship or participation. He directed listeners to majorbrenttaylor.com for volunteer sign-ups and details and said the foundation has public meetings leading up to the exhibition, including a June 17 meeting at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds at noon.

Students and first responders who visited similar county exhibits in other parts of Utah described the program as both educational and emotional. Mackenzie, a Layton Elementary student who appears in the project's outreach materials, said, “We got to talk to a real firefighter from 9 11.” A firefighter who participated in a previous exhibit said, “I think it's really important for them to remember remember because they weren't around at the time,” and described how the event connects younger visitors to eyewitness accounts.

Organizers said the exhibit is provided at no cost to visitors; materials and build costs are covered through donations and sponsorships. Ferry said the foundation will hold planning meetings and asked the county and community groups to help publicize the event.

The presentation ended with commissioners expressing appreciation for the opportunity to host the exhibit at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds and for the program’s education and community-connection goals.