Archive: Around Town

Sunday evening was a great night for a backyard barbeque but this was no ordinary gathering. It was an Eagle Scout celebration 12 years in the making.

Alex Powers, Taylor Overton and Jacob Williamson have each earned the rank of Eagle Scout and on Sunday, August 20th, the three were formally awarded the rank badge at a dinner and ceremony surrounded by friends and family. The three boys, all entering their senior year at Lansing High School, have been a part of the Boy Scouts of America since they were in Kindergarten.

Powers and Overton joined Lansing's Cub Scout Pack 48 as Tiger Scouts in 2005 when Ron Powers and Katrina Overton joined the Pack's leadership as Den Leaders. Progressing from Tiger to Wolf then Bear and Webelo Scouts, the two had numerous adventures from sleeping aboard the USS Little Rock at Buffalo Naval Park to travels to camping at the battlefield at Gettysburg PA.

Williamson Williamson joined Pack 48 as a Webelo when his family moved to Lansing from Hawaii where his scouting career had begun with Pack 297.

Together the three boys earned the Arrow of Light (the highest award in Cub Scouts) in February 2011 and transitioned to Boy Scouts. Williamson joining Troop 48 in Lansing; Powers and Overton joining Troop 2 then later Sea Scout Ship 25, Ithaca.

Over the years the boys have encouraged and prodded each other through the ranks of Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Star, Life and finally Eagle Scout. Along the way there were campouts and hikes and trips to National Scout Jamboree (West Virginia), Philmont Scout Ranch (New Mexico), Seabase (Florida), and international scout gatherings in Scotland and Canada amongst dozens of other unique experiences. Powers who completed the rank of Eagle Scout in April 2016 continued to push Overton to finish Eagle in January 2017 and Williamson in June 2017.

A hallmark of the Eagle Scout rank is the leadership project where each scout plans and leads a project. Powers built a display for a sign and 'beautified' an existing sign at Ludlowville Park. Overton reworked the drainage stone and built a platform with bench at the rain garden behind the Lansing Community Building. Williamson built shelving units for the prop building located behind the Lansing Middle School. These projects contributed to the Lansing community and exemplified the service to community component that is emphasized throughout Scouting.

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