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Members of the Bainbridge Rotary Club gathered at the Kirbo Center on Tuesday for their weekly meeting. This Tuesday was Scout Day, with members of Boy Scout Troop 502 speaking.

First, Patrick Farmer introduced himself as the new Scout Master, taking the place of Steve Reynolds. “Thank you so much for supporting the Scouts and for being a sponsor for Troop 502,” Farmer said.

After Farmer’s introduction, Ashton Aldridge, the most recent member of Troop 502 to become an Eagle Scout, spoke about his Eagle Scout project. This project, called “Fellowship by the Flint”, was the building of the picnic table f under the covered pavilion by the train trestle.

“One of the things that we learn in Boy Scouts is leadership and responsibility, and this is a large responsibility, that you have to make sure you stay on top of to get it done before your eighteenth birthday,” Aldridge said.

According to Aldridge, there was much planning that went into this project, starting with getting approval from the city, up to cutting the wood in advance with help from BHS construction teacher Greg Harrell. Other Scouts, as well as some of Aldridge’s family and friends, aided in the building and installation of the table. He showed attendees a slideshow of pictures depicting the process, from pre-cutting wood to the day of building.

“As you can tell from that slideshow, there’s a lot that goes into your Eagle Scout project, and it really is a journey,” Aldridge said. “It teaches planning and organization, teamwork, service above self, demands leadership.”

Aldridge also showed off pictures of prior Eagle Scout’s projects along the river walk, such as Lucas Reynolds’ pergola. He then took various questions from the audience.

After Aldridge concluded, Reynolds spoke. “We’ve really appreciated the support Rotary has provided for us,” he said. “Going forward, Patrick is gonna do a great job with the Troop, and we look forward to great things from these boys right here.”