COEUR d'ALENE - People who approached Bruce Jacobs on Friday usually asked him, "What the heck are you playing?"

"It's a Fender electronic guitar," said Jacobs, of Coeur d'Alene. "It plays 12 different instruments going from 12-string guitar all the way to piano, including banjo, so I play classic songs in different instruments to reflect the mood of the song. Some people just stop by to see exactly what this instrument is."

Jacobs was one of many citizens who volunteered their musical talents along Sherman Avenue Friday during the last day of Coeur d'Alene's Street Music Week. It was the second year the Lake City participated in the event, which has happened annually in Spokane for 13 years. Street Music Week is a fundraiser for Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides meals for those in need throughout North Idaho and the Inland Northwest.

"The reason why I'm interested is because I'm a retired police officer myself," Jacobs said. "I thought this was the way to show appreciation and hopefully to assist the city any way I could."

From noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, musicians of all abilities stopped into the Art Spirit Gallery to receive buttons and buckets for busking and proceeded to serenade passersby.

"They've been picking up their buckets and spreading around downtown," said Art Spirit owner Steve Gibbs. "It just adds a great vibrancy to the downtown streets and it goes to a great cause."

Kootenai Health emergency room Dr. Ben Perschau harmonized and played guitar with friends Luke Emerson of Coeur d'Alene and Rebecca Writz of Post Falls. They performed songs such as Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" and "Take it Easy" by the Eagles.

"It's such a cool event," said Perschau, who serves as one of the local organizers. "We could go down and donate money to the food bank, but at the same time, this engages the community and gets the spirit involved. Music is so important to everybody, it's kind of a way you can reach everybody."

This year's Street Music Week was dedicated to Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore, who was instrumental in helping the event start in Coeur d'Alene last year.

"We actually were able to push through the ordinances because of Greg Moore," Emerson said.

"He helped us get it organized," Perschau said. "He got us connected with people that were able to help us."

Event coordinator Jim Lyons said although the numbers weren't in as of Friday afternoon, he had a good feeling Coeur d'Alene and Spokane together raised about the same as last year, which was nearly $26,000. And, he said, the $100,000 mark since Music Week's inception has been passed.

"The big thing to remember, for every dollar brought in, Second Harvest can buy 6 pounds of food," he said. "That's a lot of burritos."

Lyons knew Sgt. Moore well and said he was excited to be able to dedicate this year's Street Music Week to his friend.

"We've dedicated this year to his memory," Lyons said. "He was very much dedicated and involved in that community."

He said the fundraising effort for the local food banks is critical this time of year because people normally don't think about donating unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas time.

"There's a whole bunch of underserved children who get a whole bunch of their nutrition in school," he said. "Summer is a hard time for families."

For those who missed the merry buskers this week and wish to donate to the cause, visit www.streetmusicweek.com.