Alexandria Cub Scouts do their part by helping to clean Veterans Memorial Park
Washing the granite helped them reach their community service requirement.
Cub Scouts from Pack 416 sponsored by First Lutheran Church helped clean the granite tablets at the Veterans Memorial Park in Alexandria Tuesday, April 28. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
Community service is a requirement for each Cub Scout den and for Pack 416 from First Lutheran Church, washing the granite at the
Veterans Memorial Park
was just the ticket.
On Tuesday, April 27, Cub Scouts, along with some family members, spent time wiping down the granite tablets, benches and other pieces in the park.
Russ Oorlog, a Vietnam veteran and the chairman of the
Veterans Memorial Park
, spoke to the group prior to them cleaning, explaining the details of the park and how it is a sacred place for veterans.
Cub Scout Colt Anderson cleans the sculpture of a battlefield cross, which is a reminder of those who lost their lives in the armed forces, at the Veterans Memorial Park in Alexandria. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
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Cub leader Alan Iverson asked if any of the scouts knew anyone whose name was listed in the park and several raised their hands. Some had a grandfather, while one said his uncle was listed and another scout said his dad was listed on one of the granite tablets.
Iverson said the plan to have the Cub Scouts take part in the cleaning efforts came after speaking with Oorlog, who told him the cleaning was going to take place. Iverson said it was a perfect fit for the Cub Scouts, especially being such a beautiful park and it coming out of its first winter.
“What a great way for our youth to come together with our veterans and give back, and also honor our veterans,” he said. “It was a big win-win for each of our groups.”
Brayden Iverson, cub scout from Pack 416 in Alexandria, along with other scouts and their family members, help to clean the granite tablets at the Veterans Memorial Park in Alexandria. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
Cub Scouts from Pack 416 sponsored by First Lutheran Church wipe down the Liberty Bell that is in the Veterans Memorial Park in Alexandria Tuesday, April 27. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
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Cub Scout Tristan Zastrow cleans the top of the Liberty Bell while other scouts and their family members help clean the bottom. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
Cub Scout Pack 416 sponsored by First Lutheran Church helped to clean the Veterans Memorial Park Tuesday, April 27. Pictured are: (back row from left) Russ Oorlog, chairman of the park; Alan Iverson, scout leader; Colt Anderson, Braddock Lawler, Brayden Iverson, Tristan Zastrow and Jackson Kluver, scouts; Jeff Corle, scout leader; and Larry Osborne, veteran; (front row from left) Levi Steimann, Ephraim ThangLan, Henry Whiting, Piersen Lawler, Oliver Olson, Isaac Waggoner and Hudson Bohl, scouts. (Celeste Edenloff / Echo Press)
Celeste Edenloff is the special projects editor and a reporter for the Alexandria Echo Press. She has lived in the Alexandria Lakes Area since 1997. She first worked for the Echo Press as a reporter from 1999 to 2011, and returned in 2016 to once again report on the community she calls home.
