BOSTON -- Two years to the day after twin pressure-cooker bombs exploded at the finish of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding more than 260, the city is moving forward.
As part of a day of tribute, the state's governor and the city's mayor introduced a tradition of service to others with the unveiling of special marathon banners.
With a small crowd gathered outside of Marathon Sports running store, site of the first blast, Gov. Charlie Baker, along with the family of one of those killed in the bombings, Krystle Campbell, pulled off the yellow fabric coverings to reveal the special gold banners, which feature a white heart around the word "Boston" and two lines representing a road.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled the "One Boston Day" banners on Boylston Street on the two-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Jack McCluskey/ESPN Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, along with the family of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who was killed in the bombings, performed a similar ceremony up Boylston Street, outside the former Forum Bar & Restaurant, the site of the second explosion.
There were no speeches, and there was little conversation from those gathered. A bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."
After getting feedback from many survivors, Walsh decided to declare April 15 as "One Boston Day," and asked people to make it a day of service for others.
Jeff Bauman lost both legs in the bombing. After the banners were revealed, he walked up Boylston Street toward the finish line. There, he embraced Carlos Arredondo -- one of the people who helped save his life on April 15 two years earlier -- amid a crush of TV and smartphone cameras.
"It's awesome," Bauman said of the idea to honor service to others in One Boston Day. "I love that Mayor Walsh did this. Boston came together so well, I think this is the perfect day for it. Everyone was so generous to us. I think we just have to be kind to each other always, not just one day. It's just very special that this is now One Boston Day."
Arredondo, sporting his trademark cowboy hat, said he felt anxious being back at the finish line on the anniversary. But he was happy to see the survivors and their families, many of whom he's become close to since the tragedy.
"It's a day to remember and honor," Arredondo said. "It's an amazing day. It's amazing just to be here on this site."
Standing on the sidewalk near the still-being-erected finish line structures, Boston Athletic Association executive director Tom Grilk said he thinks One Boston Day is a fitting tribute.
"Anything that taps into the spirit of strength and resilience and community commitment that we have seen over these last two years is a wonderful idea," Grilk said. "One of the nicest parts of it is it is unstructured, just as the community response over the last two years has been. There's been no proper way to do it, it's just been people being themselves, being wonderful.
"I think what Mayor Walsh has done is turn [this anniversary] into a more positive day and give people an opportunity to look forward. I think that's the best thing that we can do."
Later in the day, Walsh visited the Boston Fire Department's Engine 33 and Ladder 15 firehouse with the Richard family, shaking hands with first responders and posing for a group photo, little Jane Richard -- who lost part of her left leg in the bombings -- standing on the fire engine's front bumper, a firefighter's helmet on her head.
Survivor Jeff Bauman, left, alongside friend and marathon hero Carlos Arredondo, said he thinks "One Boston Day" is an "awesome" idea. AP Photo/Charles Krupa Asked about the genesis of the idea, Walsh said it came from survivors themselves who wanted to take a "somber" day and turn it into something potentially uplifting.
"One Boston Day is a day that we're taking a memory that was a tragic day," Walsh said, "and have some good, positive things come out of that horrible event." In a statement, Baker echoed that sentiment.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, who seek to make sense of that awful day two years ago," the governor's statement read. "In many respects, those most affected by the events of two years ago have shown us all the way back -- with their courage, grace and determination. They honor the past, remember and treasure loved ones lost and injured, and look forward to a better future. We should strive to do the same."
Businesses have gotten involved in One Boston Day too. The Hyatt Regency Boston announced this month it would collect lightly used shoes for the homeless who frequent the nearby St. Francis House, New England's largest day shelter.
Before One Boston Day even officially kicked off, the hotel said it had received more than 180 pairs. It hoped to collect 502 pairs total, to match the number of rooms in the hotel.
"The response has been absolutely amazing," said Emily Sharp, the Hyatt Regency area marketing and public relations manager. "We knew that Boston was a city that bonds together strongly and quickly but have been amazed by the support from our associates at Hyatt, the city, our neighbors and our surrounding businesses."
The city will observe a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m. ET, the time of the first explosion, after which church bells will ring throughout Boston.
The Boston Red Sox, at the behest of Walsh, also intended to observe a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m. The Red Sox had just completed their traditional Patriots Day matinee, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2, and were in the process of boarding buses to Logan Airport for a trip to Cleveland when the bombs went off at the Boylston Street finish line, about a half-mile from Fenway Park.
Jurors in the trial of marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, meanwhile, have been warned to avoid anniversary events and this year's race. The Boston Marathon -- one of the world's premier running events -- takes place Monday; the penalty phase in Tsarnaev's trial begins the next day.
The jury already has convicted Tsarnaev of all 30 charges against him. In the next phase, they weigh sentencing the 21-year-old ethnic Chechen to death or life in prison.
Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. ESPN.com's Gordon Edes also contributed to this report.
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