Friends say the late Frank Seigars was a remarkable man involved for decades in just about everything one could volunteer for in his small town, Windsor, from the Fire Department to the fair to numerous local committees, societies, boards and associations.

Seigars “set the bar. He’s the epitome of someone who volunteers their service for a town,” said local resident and musician Dwight Tibbetts, a friend and admirer of Seigars who had known him since Tibbets was a young boy.

The Downeast Brass will play at a Salute to Windsor Volunteers at 7 p.m. Monday at the Windsor Christian Fellowship Church, near the corner of Reed Road and Route 32. Photo courtesy of The Downeast Brass

Salute to Windsor Volunteers:

7 p.m., Monday

Windsor Christian Fellowship Church, 9 Reed Road, near the corner of Reed Road and Route 32, Windsor

Music by The Downeast Brass band

Refreshments provided by Windsor Ladies Aid

Concert is free, but donations will be accepted for a scholarship fund at Erskine Academy

But there are others like Seigars who give of themselves to their community without expecting payment in return, Tibbetts said.

So on Monday, Tibbetts and others plan to honor the memory of Seigars, who passed away in 2013, but also pay tribute to others like him — men and women who volunteer their time for the greater good. They plan a concert by The Downeast Brass band, in which Tibbetts plays trumpet.

“The concert is in memory of Frank, in memory of what he did,” Tibbetts said. “It’s in Frank’s name because he set the bar. But the point is not about Frank Seigars, the man himself; it’s about what he did. And the other people of Windsor who run our town, the fair, selectmen, the Fire Department … these people who spend hours and days and weeks and months and don’t get paid a cent for it, and they’re not looking to be patted on the back.”

The Salute to Windsor Volunteers begins at 7 p.m. Monday at Windsor Christian Fellowship church at 9 Reed Road near the corner of Reed Road and Route 32, a short distance from the Windsor Fairgrounds. That’s where Seigars spent many hours in his role as longtime secretary-manager of the Windsor Fair.

Tibbetts said the concert will feature American big band music, which Seigars loved, with refreshments provided by the Windsor Ladies Aid.

Donations will be accepted at the event, with the money collected going to establish a scholarship in Seigars’ memory at Erskine Academy, where Seigars, as part of the Boosters of Erskine Academy, helped put on minstrel shows during the 1970s to raise funds for the school.

Nancy Seigars, Frank’s wife of 57 years, said she thinks it’s nice to have an event in his honor to recognize people who give their time and skills to the town.

“Frank gave a lot of time and gave of his talents because he enjoyed it,” Nancy Seigars said. “He did a lot of good things for people. He was like that because he was brought up by good people. And he didn’t charge anything. People do a lot in a town they’re not paid for. You can’t pay everybody for all the time they give a small town. It’s impossible. Those things just need to be done.”

Often, in Windsor and elsewhere, it’s a relatively small core group of people who take on most of the community projects and volunteer efforts.

Tibbetts hopes the concert will plant some seeds of thought, both in Windsor residents and those in other communities, that could prompt them to volunteer to lend a hand, to pitch in so it’s not just the same group of people trying to get good things done.

“I hope people in neighboring towns take note of this,” he said. “Things need to get done, and it shouldn’t be the same handful of people every time. They need new people. We need to raise awareness and get younger, newer, different people involved. Because these things don’t just get done. They get done by the same people over and over.”

Frank Seigars, a Richmond native, served four years in the Navy, much of it on a ship in the Persian Gulf.

He worked for the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 years, retiring in 2007 at the rank of lieutenant in charge of court security.

He and his wife had four children, 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, yet he managed to find time to volunteer with numerous local groups and activities.

According to his obituary, he was a member of American Legion Post 179 in South China, the Whitefield Lions Club and the Windsor Historical Society. He was chairman of the Selective Service Commission and served for many years as moderator of the Windsor Town Meeting. He also was Windsor’s constable and served on the town’s budget and roads committees, the appeals board and the Windsor Ambulance board. He was a member of Windsor Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years, serving as its treasurer for 16 years.

Nancy Siegars recalled a time when her husband was in poor health but went to a fire scene anyway. He and another older firefighter weren’t called on to help with the fire itself. They returned to the station after the fire and learned the department’s hoses needed to be cleaned.

“So he got down and started cleaning hoses,” Nancy Seigars said. “Those things need to be done.”

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @kedwardskj

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