Connecticut's annual 9/11 memorial ceremony was held Thursday at Sherwood Island Park in Westport ahead of the 21st anniversary of the terror attacks.

The ceremony honored the 161 people with ties to Connecticut who died in the attacks.

The memorial in the park is engraved with the names of the victims.

All 161 names was read aloud at the ceremony. Many family members of the victims of the attack participated.

Officials say one of the reasons Sherwood Island State Park was chosen for the memorial site is because the Connecticut National Guard used it as a staging area for the state's relief efforts to New York City in the days following the attacks.

On a clear day, the Manhattan skyline can be viewed from the park across Long Island Sound.