New York officials on Monday revealed the city's official plans to mark the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, unveiling events scaled back fromlast year and intended to convey a message of hope.

A "Tribute in Light," haunting twin blue beams that were indelible markers of loss and resurrection at Ground Zero, will shine again on Sept. 11 and on every subsequent anniversary of the 2001 attacks.

The lights are a centerpiece of the city and state's second anniversary commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks, said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki.

Another new element of the ceremony is the inclusion of 200 children related to the 2,800 victims of the attacks, who will read the names of the dead, sing and play music at Ground Zero. While the names are read, family members will be able to walk downthe ramp to the lowest level of the site where they may lay flowers.

"On the second anniversary of this fateful day, we will look toour children, through whose eyes we can see the true promise of our State and our nation. And through whose eyes we will continue to see hope and have optimism for a lifetime of brighter days," Pataki said.

"This will be the second time that we as friends, as families, and as one community, will gather to remember a tragic day which has become synonymous with not only great sorrow and loss, but also courage and resilience," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement.

The ceremony will be punctuated with four moments of silence --two to mark the times that a plane hit the towers and two to mark the times when each tower fell.

The occasion features far less fanfare than last year, when firefighters and police led five predawn processions that began atthe farthest reaches of the city's borders and converged at the World Trade Center site.

Last year, 2,801 victims' names were read aloud. The current number of victims stands at 2,972, as various claims of fraud are investigated and the process of identification continues, according to the city Office of the Medical Examiner.

Private prayer services, concerts, candlelight vigils and memorial services are expected throughout the day.

The lights, two banks of powerful 44 xenon arc bulbs that emit an ethereal azure glow, will be turned on at sunset. The city willraise money to pay for the display through a nonprofit corporationand will soon begin seeking donations from the public.

The blue beams, initially sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society, were lit on March 11, 2002 and extinguished a month later,at a cost of 500,000 dollars.

"Our intent is to hold a ceremony that is simple and powerful and that honors the memory of those lost, so we can remember and reflect," Bloomberg said.

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