A record number of scouts were in Clinton and DeWitt County this past weekend for the annual merit badge fair hosted by Clinton Exelon Nuclear Power Station.
Troop Leader Ed Cicenas says they hosted 225 scouts from as far away as Las Vegas and as near as Indiana. The scouts learned a variety of new skills thanks to numerous community volunteers who gave their time to teach these youths.
According to Cicenas, between everyone that it takes to put the event on plus the kids and parents, roughly 450 people make up the entirety of the event, which is a boost to the local economy.
Scouts pick out a skill or topic of interest to them take on. Cicenas indicates once their scoutmaster signs off, they sign up for a class at the merit badge fair and in some circumstances, they leave with their badge, but others can take time.
Cicenas says the event has grown into a community event since its inception, with the boys and girls working with the local John Deere dealership in Clinton on Farm Mechanics; drafting, welding, chemistry and programming at the high school, railroading at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and C&P printing at the YMCA.
Additionally, the fair uses nearly every open space Exelon has to hold classes, using four on-site buildings and 19 classrooms along with the cafeteria and other spaces.
