Hill Cumorah crew: A voluntary labor force

PALMYRA, N.Y. — When the Latter-day Saints come to town, much work gets done — beyond Hill Cumorah.During their stay, cast members from the pageant provide more than 1,800 hours of volunteer labor in Wayne and Ontario counties. They do everything from pull weeds and mulch gardens to clean high school lockers and paint picnic pavilions.Mormons Bart and Marilyn Dahneke of Palmyra serve as directors of the volunteer projects, which are completed by cast members age 14 and older who are grouped into teams and led by four adults.Teams work four-hour shifts for three afternoons during pageant week.\"Our job is to make the initial contact, then coordinate and schedule the logistics,\" explained Bart Dahneke. \"It's the biggest cast ever this year, which means more service volunteers.\"\"It's a church calling,\" added Marilyn Dahneke, \"an opportunity to give back to the community.\"