Valentine's Day just got a whole lot sweeter. Tomorrow, February 14, 2013, has been declared Bob "Slim" Dunlap Day by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

For those who have been following this story from the beginning, this heartfelt gesture from the mayor comes at the end of a long year in Dunlap's life. It was almost one year ago this week, February 19, 2012, that Dunlap suffered a serious stroke and first landed in the hospital, and the former Replacements guitarist and beloved singer-songwriter has been making a slow and difficult recovery ever since.

"Slim is honored, amazed, humbled and very grateful for this honor," Dunlap's wife Chrissie wrote today. "Unfortunately, Slim has been in the ICU this week fighting another battle with pneumonia. He is improving and we hope to get him back home soon. We send out our love and appreciation to everyone."

Dunlap's situation has moved his friends and fellow musicians so deeply that it's led to Replacements founders Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson re-entering the studio to record a reunion EP, and 'Mats drummer Chris Mars has also stepped forward to offer up his own tribute and design the artwork for the whole line of Songs for Slim releases.

Slim Dunlap Day 2013 will occur on the eve of the next Songs for Slim release, a vinyl 45 that features a cover of Dunlap's "Times Like This" by Steve Earle and "Isn't It?" by Craig Finn. An auction for the limited run of 100 copies of that release will begin Friday, February 15 and run through February 22.

Read the whole proclamation from Mayor Rybak below, including the befitting line that Dunlap is "a clear example to others that even the nicest person can achieve considerable success and still maintain their genuine modesty." And happy Slim Dunlap Day!