ROCHESTER, MN - Police officers, firefighters and members of the military are just some of the people who make big sacrifices everyday in their jobs.
Now one local community is doing what they can to honor these local heroes.
The 2nd Annual Local Heroes event wrapped up this afternoon in Rochester.
It's an event that celebrates those who do so much for others .
"We wanted to give back to the community with which we work for and we decided we were going to do a local heroes event," said event organizer David Marquez.
Marquez is also the manager at Universal Marine and RV, where the event took place.
He said it's simply three days of celebrating local heroes in the Rochester area.
"Firefighters, police officers, state patrol, DNR, veterans, and current military. Anybody that gives us the opportunities that we have today in this great country of the United States," said Marquez.
While the main part of the event is getting to honor those that make a difference, another part is letting people get up close and personal with the emergency vehicles and equipment used by these local heroes.
Mayo Clinic's medical rescue helicopter even made a special landing.
"It's a great opportunity for them to see them up close instead of far away like we usually do," said Sheryl Konz of Rochester.
But for Konz and her twin boys, the event was more than just a photo opportunity. It's also a chance to thank those that make her community a better place.
"I think it's really important to understand and respect what they do and really being able to interact with some of them, it's a great opportunity," said Konz.
And that's exactly goal that Marquez and his fellow organizers had in mind. [TAKE SOT
"Well I think many of us have taken advantaged or overlooked the fact of the freedoms that we have. We think we deserve them and we forget that they were earned. And they were earned by the people who fought the wars and by the people that continue to fight the wars every single day," said Marquez.
Some of the heroes being honored today include local Korean War Veterans.
The Rochester area Korean War Veterans Club is the second largest Korean War vets group in the country. They now have over 200 members.
They say they appreciate the event and that it's been a long time coming.
"I don't think since September 11th we've had where the people have focused on veterans. But since then it's been a wake-up call and they're really starting to appreciate what freedom is," said Cyril W. Kubista, Commander of the Korean War Veterans Club.
Universal Marine and RV worked with their vendors along with other local businesses and put together over $5,000 dollars worth of prizes to be given out to the local heros in daily drawings.
There was also food and beverages served at the event and the first 500 people who attended received a commemorative t-shirt.
