New in 2026: 9/11 Memorial Exhibit

The Alameda County Fair will present a new 9/11 Memorial Exhibit in 2026, marking 25 years since September 11, 2001.

This exhibit will feature original steel beam sections recovered from the World Trade Center following the collapse of the Twin Towers. These artifacts offer guests a powerful and solemn opportunity to pause, reflect and remember a day that forever changed American history.

The exhibit honors the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the families forever changed and the courage of the firefighters, law enforcement officers, rescue personnel, pilots, flight attendants and everyday people who responded with compassion and selflessness in a moment of unimaginable tragedy.

For some guests, this display may serve as a place of remembrance. For others, especially younger visitors encountering these artifacts for the first time, it may open the door to meaningful conversations about courage, service, resilience and the responsibility to care for one another.

Though shaped by tragedy, these steel sections stand as a reminder of renewal and resolve. The exhibit invites guests to reflect on the nation’s vulnerability, the strength found in unity and the importance of standing together with empathy and care.

Survivor Tree Tribute

The exhibit will also include a Survivor Tree tribute, inspired by the Callery pear tree discovered in the rubble at the World Trade Center site. Though severely damaged, the tree was carefully removed, nurtured and later returned to Ground Zero, where it continues to bloom each spring as a living symbol of resilience and renewal.

Here, a pear tree stands in tribute to that enduring story. It represents the ability to recover after loss, remain rooted through hardship and rebuild with care.

Visitors are invited to take part in this reflection by writing a wish, message or promise for the future and adding it to this space as a shared expression of remembrance, hope and unity.