The Rotary Club of Johns Creek, in partnership with the City of Johns Creek, will host a Patriot Day Commemoration on September 11 — marking 25 years since the tragic events of 9/11/2001. The event honors the services and sacrifices of the first responders and military personnel, and includes a moment of silence and ringing of a memorial bell in honor of the fallen.
The 2026 program will be held at the Newtown Park amphitheater and feature remarks by Captain Tommy Clack (US Army, retired). Mayor John Bradberry, the chief of police, the fire chief and other community leaders will also speak.
The Johns Creek Veterans Association Color Guard will present the colors and the Northview High School Chorus will perform patriotic songs.
Organizers expect between 150-200 people will attend the event.
About Patriot Day
The annual Patriot Day Commemoration in Johns Creek is meant to be a time of remembrance and reflection.
Officially known as the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the event is one of many held around the U.S. to not only remember the victims of the terrorist attacks in 2001, but to also honor the 415 first responders who risked and gave their lives that day.
The local event will also be a fundraiser, and all donations raised will go to the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation to support their efforts in the community.
The 2026 keynote speaker
The keynote speaker for Patriot Day 2026 is Captain Tommy Clack.
According to the program book created by the Rotary Club for the event, Captain Clack is a highly decorated Vietnam combat veteran, public speaker and dedicated advocate who has spent over 50 years serving America’s veterans and communities.
After volunteering for the Army in 1966, he served as an artillery forward observer in Vietnam, where he was critically wounded in 1969, losing three limbs. Defying the odds through faith, discipline and determination, he underwent dozens of surgeries, earned a degree from Georgia State University and embarked on a 47-year career in military and government employment.
As a veteran’s service officer, he has personally helped over 30,000 veterans secure their benefits, while simultaneously leading the creation of over 300 veterans memorials nationwide, including the Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza.
A lifelong hunter, Eagle Scout and father of two, Clack has also traveled to all 50 states as a motivational speaker — delivering message-driven speeches completely from the heart without notes — and has received over 200 local and national honors, including a presidential “Point of Light” award and induction into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame.
Johns Creek Patriot Day details
Friday, Sept. 11, 2026
8:30 a.m.-9;30 a.m.
Mark Burkhalter Amphitheater
Newtown Park
3150 Old Alabama Road
Learn more at jcrotary.org or on the City of Johns Creek website at johnscreekga.gov/recreation-parks/special-events/patriot-day-commemoration.
