SPRINGFIELD – When Shawn Gordon’s daughter Brianna was born without a left cheekbone, he didn’t have to go far to find help. He found that his Prentiss neighbors and others from within Penobscot County were holding dinners and other fund-raisers to get Brianna the surgery she needed.

“We do this sort of thing for people here,” Gordon said. “I think it’s one of the benefits of living in such a small town; if you live in a small town and something bad happens to you, people pull together.”

Sunday night, it was the Smalley family’s turn to receive some hometown generosity.

About 200 people attended a potluck supper and benefit concert at Springfield Gym that helped raise about $2,000 for the Drew Plantation family, which lost its toy factory and had its farmhouse severely damaged in a fire on Nov. 23.

Within a few hours, the flames ate through four interconnected buildings – a wood shop, storage area, chapel, and a home office-schoolhouse, taking about $70,000 in dollhouses, toy kitchens, castles and play stands, office equipment and tools. About $150,000 in damage was done, with no insurance to help.

Residents who attended Sunday’s dinner felt happy to do something good for the Smalleys, even if they didn’t know the family very well.

“I think this is a great turnout,” said John Krapf of Springfield, who attended the event with Gordon and Paul White of Lee. “It’s nice to see that a little community can come out in support of a family who has endured a tragedy like this.”

The event had a warm, laid-back familial attraction to it, down to the songs Jacob Smalley and his mother, Susan, sang. “Angel Eyes,” “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em” and “She’ll Come Around” are all country songs, original material he wrote in teasing dedication to his sister Priscilla, who lives in California.

“‘She’ll Come Around’ is about kids leaving home and being rebellious and finding out that it’s not as easy as they thought,” Susan Smalley said.

“Most of the songs I write are dedicated to my sisters,” Jacob Smalley said, clearly enjoying a filial last word.

The event gave family patriarch David Smalley a chance to get away from his stresses, if only briefly. The dinner, he said, will help alleviate his $10,000 to $15,000 in direct debt from the fire, he said. About $8,500 in donations was raised before the dinner, said Susan Smalley.

“Most of the money [raised] has been spent on damage repair work, probably about three-quarters of it,” said David Smalley, who several times expressed thanks to contributors.

The money raised will help the family get into the early part of next year, he said. He hopes to decide by Jan. 1 whether to rebuild the business or to sell the farmhouse and look for work. He and his family and friends have almost completely repaired the damaged farmhouse – the kitchen ceiling sheetrocking and insulation are just about finished.

Restarting the factory is another matter. That would take at least $30,000 to replace equipment and other items lost in the fire.

“I’m 50-50 on whether I’ll start the business again. I’m optimistic, but I know it will take a lot,” he said.

Anyone interested in contributing to the Smalleys’ efforts to rebuild may send donations in care of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, 90 Sanford St., Bangor 04401, or e-mail elves@gwi.net at the toy maker’s Web site, www.elvesandangels.com.