The Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast (SACS) is making final preparations for an inaugural festival to name and celebrate local heroes.

"American   Heroes: Celebrating Americans' Strength in Story and Song" will take place Saturday, Sept. 12, on Main Street in downtown Laurinburg from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and features a special presentation at 12:30 p.m. at the Storytelling Arts Center.

Executive Director Jan Schmidt describes the event as a "fitting memorial to the 9/11 tragedy as well as an opportunity to identify and honor the extraordinary heroism of ordinary individuals in our own community."

Schmidt believes the festival will be a celebration of individuals who exemplify the American spirit and whose contributions to the local community make a significant difference.

"Our festival committee has just received the names of those selected from a pool of nominees, and we're very excited about the results," she says.

Schmidt explains that the honorees were chosen from among a number of stories submitted from folks in the community.

"We asked members of the community to nominate their heroes via brief story submissions," she says. "Those submissions were passed along to a panel of judges."

Honorees will not be revealed until the day of the festival.

In preparation for the American Heroes program, the winning story submissions are currently in the hands of professional storytellers and musicians who will fashion tributes to be performed.

Performers for American Heroes Celebrating Americans' Strength in Story and Song include Mark Manette, Tyris Jones, Bren Gandy-Wilson, Brenda Gilbert, Shelly Sutton, Carol Whitehead, and James Clark. The program of stories and music will start at 12:30 p.m. in the Storytelling Arts Center.

Other American Heroes festivities include children's games and activities, crafts, exhibits, food vendors, drawings for prizes, outdoor entertainment by Fortress and The Cousinettes and an apple pie contest. There will be no admission fees. All activities, including the 12:30 program, are free.

For more information about "American Heroes Celebrating Americans' Strength in Story and Song," Schmidt advises readers to visit the Storytelling Arts Center Web site at www.storyartscenter.org or call (910) 291-0929.

The Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast is located in the historic John McNair Building at 131 S. Main St. in Laurinburg.