GREENE – Jimmy Simones looked down after whacking the weeds in his yard and noticed several tiny scrapes and cuts on his calves and shins.

He panicked.

The 49-year-old restaurant owner was scheduled to go to the Greene Town Hall the next day to pose for a photograph of his legs. The photo was being taken for a flier to introduce Simones and the other four contestants in this year’s Mr. Legs Contest.

Prospective voters would see the flier and use it to decide which man deserved the 2004 crown.

Simones went to his wife and daughter for help.

His daughter took out her makeup bag and covered the scrapes with foundation. His wife advised him to wear his shortest pair of shorts, loafers and no socks.

“This way, people could see the whole leg,” Simones said, blushing.

Whether the look worked for Simones is yet to be determined.

He and the other four contestants have until Saturday afternoon to gather votes. Each vote costs $1, and people are encouraged to vote as many times as they would like.

The man with the most votes gets $100. The rest of the proceeds will be used to pay for repairs at the Androscoggin Grange Hall in Greene.

For the third year in a row, members of the Grange have organized the Mr. Legs Contest to raise money for the restoration of their hall on Sprague Mill Road. In past years, the contest has raised up to $500.

Fashion tips

Contestants either volunteer or are recruited by Grange members. Filling the five slots has never been a problem, said Carol Buzzell, who helps organize the event.

This year’s candidates range in age from 32 to 60.

They include the manager of a meat store, an insulator at Bath Iron Works, an engineering technician for a furniture maker, a telephone sales representative, and Simones, who owns a hot dog restaurant in Lewiston.

All of the men claim they simply agreed to take part in the event because it is for a good cause. They insist their legs are nothing special.

But not everyone agrees.

“They are short, but they are very well-formed,” said Mickey Radway, commenting on her husband’s legs.

The oldest of the five contestants, Bob Radway didn’t give much thought to what he wore for his photo shoot. He put on his knee-length khaki shorts. He pulled his white socks up to the middle of his calves and slipped on his black sneakers.

“I just wore my standard,” he said.

Like Simones, Tobie Bubier, the manager of Bubier Meats, looked to his wife for fashion tips. She suggested shorts and no socks, so he put on his cut-off denims and Birkenstock sandals and headed to Town Hall.

Arthur Morin, a 33-year-old technician at Thomas Moser Cabinet Makers, hopes his time in the sun will give him a slight advantage.

“I have a bit of a tan,” he said. “Some of the others are a little white.”

While some of the contestants have already begun collecting money from friends, relatives and co-workers, Morin is hoping to rack up his votes Saturday morning during the Greene Village Celebration parade.

“Hopefully, it won’t be a cold day,” he said.

The winner will be announced after the parade at 2 p.m. at the Grange Hall. In addition to the $100, he will receive a paper crown decorated with a strip of velvet.