BROOKS – There may have been some squabbles over the years, but folks here always pitch in with pride when it comes time to help a neighbor or celebrate small-town life.

“This being small-town Maine, we do have our disagreements,” admitted Selectman Linda Lord. “But this town disagrees in a civil way, and pulls together when it needs to.”

That was the case Saturday when nearly half of this Waldo County town’s 1,022 residents turned out to give thanks to its veterans, dedicate the village square, celebrate the opening of a new fire station and the reopening of its hardware store.

It was a day that began with a parade and ended with a dance. In between, there were speeches from politicians, solemn dedications and lots of small-town hugs and handshakes.

“We are a happy town and we have worked our hearts out for this,” said Lord. “It’s just amazing how many people made this possible. They volunteered time, money and support and we’re very proud of them.”

Paul Muir, who with his wife, Audrey, owns Paul’s Hardware in the village center, echoed that praise. The hardware store the Muirs have operated for 20 years was destroyed by fire on Dec. 21.

Rather than pack it in, the Muirs rebuilt the business, and its formal grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place that morning.

“It feels wonderful, absolutely great,” Paul Muir said. “The community spirit has been wonderful. They really rallied to our side. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

As a member of the volunteer fire department, Muir was on the front line in December fighting the fire that threatened his family’s livelihood.

He said he had no time to feel sorry for the loss. His only thought was to help make sure the fire did not spread to the Brooks Village Grocery next door. He and fellow firefighters from Brooks and the surrounding towns succeeded.

“When I got the fire page, it wasn’t a good feeling,” recalled Muir. “I had to treat it as a fire, not as an emotional loss. We had a job to do, we had to make sure the grocery store was saved.”

The firefighters also had another reason to celebrate Saturday. After more than four years of planning, the department ushered in a new era with the opening of its new, four-bay fire station, which will house a soon-to-be-delivered 2005 pumper truck.

Lord noted that the fire station was funded through a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant and a $237,000 bond approved by the voters at town meeting. The new firetruck was funded through a Department of Homeland Security grant.

She also revealed that the purchase of the firehouse site was made possible in part by more than $17,000 in donations from seven Brooks families.

“Without your vote, this stuff would not be possible,” Fire Chief Harold Saucier told the gathering.

Taking part in the first official flag-raising at the fire station were local members of the 133rd Engineer Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard, who recently returned from a year overseas serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Saturday was Armed Forces Day, and clad in their desert combat uniforms, Sgt. Bill Spaulding, Sgt. Darren Mehuren, Sgt. Paul Lawrence, Spc. Duane Manning and his father, Sgt. Wayne Manning hoisted the U.S. and firefighter flags to the top of the gleaming flagpole. Sgts. Raymond Bryant, Randall Parker and Rob Clifford attended in civilian clothes.

Veterans also took part in the dedication of the town square at the intersection of Moosehead Trail and Purple Heart Highway.

Staples Square was named in honor of World War I soldier Lt. Bernard Staples in 1950, but the formal dedication had been overlooked until Saturday. The square also was dedicated to the town’s veterans and their families.

Lt. Staples, whose brother Leroy Staples operated a garage in town for decades, died of influenza while in training at Camp Devens, Mass., in 1918. He had just graduated from Tufts University Dental School when he joined the Army.

A plaque honoring Staples and the town’s veterans and their families was unveiled on the side of the village grocery and hardware building.

During its dedication, Sgt. Spaulding reminded the gathering of the supreme price paid by Sgt. Christopher Gelineau of Portland, Sgt. Lynn Poulin of Freedom and Sgt. Tom Dostie of Somerville, each killed in the line of duty in Iraq while serving with the 133rd.

Sgt. Spaulding also recognized Sgt. Harold Gray, who is still recovering from serious wounds and the many other members of the Maine unit who were wounded in Iraq.

U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, was in attendance. Michaud told residents they had many things to celebrate that day, especially the arrival home of the town’s soldiers.

“The return of the 133rd is important not only to the people from here, but for the state of Maine as well,” Michaud said to warm applause. “We appreciate the work of our veterans, we can’t say enough thank-yous for all you have done. It’s because of the veterans that we have the freedoms we have today and it’s because of the veterans that we have the ability to speak our minds.”

Representatives of Gov. John Baldacci and Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins also attended the event and read statements commending residents for pulling together to make their town a better place.

Taking it all in from his front steps across the street from the hardware store was Philip Tucker, 63, who said it was great to have the store back up and running because it brought life to the town.

“That and the grocery store brings a lot of trade to Brooks,” said Tucker. “We need the business. There used to be a drugstore here when I was a kid. Ice cream, 5-cent, 10-cent cones, five gas stations and a couple of restaurants. This was quite a parade, it’s been quite a day.”

However, Tucker couldn’t let the moment pass without a wink of the eye and a bit of good-natured Brooks grumbling.

“It’s good, but I think we’re going too much in debt for the new fire station and new firetruck,” Tucker said with a chuckle. “I know we need them, but taxes, taxes, taxes.”