September 11, 2025- The Hampton Inn in Mt. Zion hosted its 6th annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb to honor the lives lost and lives impacted by the events of September 11th.
The event was started in 2020 when the hotel had several firefighters working at the hotel. The event involves climbing to the fourth floor of the hotel 28 times in order to reach 110 flights of stairs representing the 2071 steps in the World Trade Center.
The event included a memorial Flag and partipants carried a photo of a first responder who died on 9/11 in order to honor their memory.
Co-Founder Brit McKinney, General Manager of Hampton Inn Mt Zion and 10 year firefighter, said that 10 different fire departments and multiple police departments participated this year. In addition, there were many community members who took part in the climb. “Every year it seems to grow,” he said. “We know that weekdays are difficult for some people to participate because its during the work day, but it is important to us that this event be held on 9/11 in order to properly honor those lost. Thats very important to us and it makes me proud to see people come out remember and to never forget.”
Brit added that they have had many participants that were not even born when the attack happened. He said that makes it even more special in making sure the memories of those lost are passed down and not forgotten.
Colin Hegener, early career financial analyst with ADM was one of those participants born before 9/11. “It makes me proud to take part in this. I wasn’tt even alive during 9/11, but hearing the stories…everyone remembers where they were when the towers came down. It also hits home when you see our local firefighters wearing full gear doing this climb.”
There was also a 9/11 Memorial Ride that began at Coziahr Harley Davidson, stopped at the Hampton Inn, and then onto the Decatur 9/11 Memorial along Lake Decatur.
