COEUR d'ALENE - For two months, nominations for "Local Hero Awards" have been collected in Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum.

Those honors will be presented Saturday at Coeur d'Alene City Park during the debut "Coeur d'Alene Regional Day of Heroes" event, where unsung heroes - local and county law enforcement, fire/emergency medical service personnel, first responders, 911 dispatch personnel and members of special response teams - will be recognized and celebrated.

Event director Matt Rowe of Gateway Fellowship in Coeur d'Alene said one of the main goals of the day is to bring community members closer to those who serve and protect them.

"I don't want to have that chasm in my community," Rowe said. "I want to have that 'Mayberry' feel. It's about honoring them, not fearing their authority."

Rowe said he had the idea about nine months ago when an encounter with his new neighbor, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White, led him to open a dialogue about the event.

And, he said, God also had a hand in it.

"We had a house right across the street from Chief White. We had just moved in," Rowe said. "The Holy Spirit was just really tugging on me to go talk to him. The Holy Spirit said, 'Matt, I want you to stop by, I want you to give him all your firewood.'"

Rowe said he overcame his nerves and talked to White, informing him he felt that it was his duty to give the chief his quarter of a cord.

"(White) goes, 'Really? I just told my wife this morning I needed a quarter of a cord,'" Rowe said. "The Holy Spirit said, 'You have to honor these guys.' Honor is the key to city transformation."

Rowe and Gateway along with the four cities asked community members to nominate local heroes and tell the stories of why they earned their respect and admiration.

"Some of the stories that have come in have just been heartbreaking and so impacting," Rowe said. "It's been a real heart jerker."

The event was in motion before Sgt. Greg Moore's untimely death, which Rowe said added a level of seriousness and necessity.

"When Sgt. Moore got shot, we didn't know what to do," Rowe said, adding that planning became more sensitive.

Rowe said Day of Heroes will serve as a way to hold everyone accountable for what happens in their communities. He said while it is easy to complain about things, it is more difficult and noble to "pull the gold out" of people.

"It's meant to make our community stronger through love and honor," he said. "Complaining doesn't get you anywhere."

Day of Heroes goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rowe said people and kids are encouraged to dress as their favorite superheroes and that the local heroes will have their own superhero cards to share.

"If we want to change our city, we have to honor them and pull the gold out of them," Rowe said.

Possible activities for Day of Heroes include live music, obstacle courses, bouncy castles, super hero facepainting, family games, food vendors, a "dunk the mayors" dunk tank, fire hose lawn bowling and more. Admission is free.

Info: www.dayofheroes.org