The town of Mercer recently received the Spirit of America Award.

Because of the efforts of the Select Board, Ricky Parlin, Gary Mosher and past third Select Board member Dari Hurley, many citizens of Mercer have recognized the board’s personal volunteering efforts. They contribute their time and energy to town beautification, maintenance, social gatherings, clerical assistance and much more, according to a news release from Mary Burr, third select person.

It’s not unusual to see the selectmen filling potholes, cutting brush, grooming the dirt roads with the rock-rake, repairing and replacing stolen road signs, and sweeping the town office grounds, all on their own time.

A call for community assistance finds dozens of like-minded town residents pushing brooms and scooping up winter debris as part of the town-wide clean-up, Burr noted.

Volunteers have come forward to help with the chores of office work to assist the town clerk, as well as local leaders organizing yard sales and Earth Day roadside trash pick-up, with any revenue gleaned through bottle redemption being donated to the community’s annual free chicken barbecue.

An action group stepped up to create scenic trails within the Mercer Town Forest, which is drawing recreationists to the town.

Like many small Maine towns, the act of volunteering can be a thankless job, but receiving the Spirit of America Award is an acknowledgement of thanks from the state saying that it has noticed Mercer’s community spirit, Burr noted.

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