Some say that heroes are hard to find, but the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast will have them in abundance on Sept. 12 when the inaugural American Heroes Celebration takes place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

According to SACS Executive DIrector Jan Schmidt, the day for celebrating local heroes and heroines at the Center will be both lots of fun and a moving way to recognize those who have done extraordinary acts for the community.

"American Heroes, Celebrating Americans’ Strength in Story and Song" is a program dedicated to the extraordinary bravery and community contributions best representing the heroism of ordinary Americans," Schmidt said. "Stories of exceptional community heroes will be featured at a public storytelling and music festival event scheduled to take place Saturday, Sept. 12 along Main Street and at the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast."

Storytellers Mark Manette, Tyris Jones, and Bren Wilson will relate selected hero stories to the audience.

"The submission I will be interpreting is not currently in story form," Manette said from his office at St. Andrews Presbyterian College. "I am in the process of researching the information in order to present this person's information as a story, with a beginning, middle and end."

A professor of theatre at St. Andrews, Manette is a lifelong actor and a member of the SACS board.

"I want to make sure the message of this person's heroism is brought forth and celebrated in a way that will fully engage the audience."

Food vendors, children’s activities, storytelling and music, flag ceremonies, an Honor Guard, fire trucks and "so much more" will be available on the day following the eighth anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy.

"The hero stories will be performed between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. inside the Storytelling Center," Schmidt said. "And if you have a special apple pie recipe, we invite you to enter the apple pie tasting contest. We hope you will come and enjoy this wonderful community event."

The Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast is located at 131 South Main Street in Laurinburg. Its mission is "to preserve and enrich storytelling arts for people of all ages through education, performances, research, workshops, and writing."

For more information, call 291-0929 or visit www.storyartscenter.org.