SHERBURNE — Sherburne-based log home manufacturer Lok-N-Logs is paying homage to those lost during the September 11 terrorist attacks, that killed nearly 3,000 Americans in 2001.

The company is building a memorial to be unveiled at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 11, at the Lok-N-Logs headquarters located on Route 12, south of the Village of Sherburne.

Partnered with Tunnels to Towers, an organization that raises money for victims of 9/11 and their families, Lok-N-Logs will be asking for free-will donations and holding a raffle at the event to raise money, and will match contributions up to $10,000.

"We've got permission with Tunnels to Towers to be a partner," said Lok-N-Logs owner and founder Jim Webb. "And Lok-N-Logs is gonna match the giving of the $10,000 if it goes that high."

The monument will be a 14 foot tall replica of the twin towers, constructed from steel, concrete, and granite.

"The inside is a steel frame which is buried in three feet of concrete, and the faces of the mini towers will be gray granite, and will have 12 inch letters which read 'Never Forget.' On top of the north tower will be an aluminum radio tower replica that will be 42 inches tall," Lok-N-Logs officials said in a statement regarding the memorial.

Webb credited a visit to Gander, Newfoundland as his inspiration for creating the piece. The Gander airport allowed 33 planes to land there during the twin tower attacks on September 11, according to Webb. He said the small town took in approximately 10,000 crew members and passengers, and gave them shelter in schools, churches, and hotels in the area.

Webb said he and a friend visited the town to thank them for their assistance around 18 years ago.

"[We] decided that we should go up to Gander in Newfoundland and thank the people up there and thank them for what they did for 9/11," said Webb. "I got to go up there and help thank those people and they had already built a monument to 9/11 of their own, so they kind of inspired me a little bit."

With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Webb decided now was the time to make it happen.

"This is something that I've wanted to do ever since the original 9/11, to create some kind of monument," said Webb. "I said, we gotta do it, it's the 20th anniversary."

The unveiling event is open to the public and all are invited, said Webb. He also said he extended an invitation to state and local politicians, including recently appointed Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, local mayors and supervisors, and more.

Religious officials, firemen, victims' families, and a retired General have also been invited.

"We're gonna have an invocation, we're gonna have some vicars, you know, we've got a retired General that we're gonna have speak," he said.

Construction of the monument is well under way. Webb said the positioning of the piece was very intentional, to fully mirror the real-life twin towers and ensure visibility for passing motorists.

"We tried to position the towers in such a way that Route 12 equals the Hudson River," he explained. "Then we've got the points of the towers pointing to Route 12 so that you should be able to read 'Never Forget' coming from the south as well as the north."

He continued that he hopes to add lighting to the memorial as well, but is holding off until after the unveiling.

"After 9/11 we're gonna fool around with lighting it. I didn't want to dig up the ground yet and make it all muddy for the unveiling. But we'll light it eventually and see how it goes," said Webb.

"Hopefully it's going to be a lasting and impressive memorial," he said. "We're gonna try to involve as many folks as we can, and we want everybody to swing by and take a look."

More information on Lok-N-Logs and their available log homes can be found on loknlogs.com. Information on the Tunnels to Towers organization is available at t2t.org.