Monticello has a lot going for it

   Last week I interviewed my 21^st Eagle Scout!

   In my 14 years of working here, we have featured 21 Eagle Scouts; 19 from Monticello and two from Anamosa.

   I have no doubt we’ll see a few more in the coming years, including the first female Eagle Scout: Lily Moestchen. She’s already working toward the highest honor in Scouts and she’s only a sophomore. Lily has her sights set on it and I have no doubt whatsoever that it’ll happen! And I can’t wait to feature Troop 66’s first female Eagle Scout!

   I was in Girl Scouts in junior high and high school. I dropped out my sophomore year because, at the time, Girl Scouts wasn’t perhaps what it is today. We did crafts, went on field trips, volunteered in the community. I didn’t feel making Christmas ornaments every holiday was a skill I needed in life.

   Despite being so close to Hopkinton and going to school with girls from Hopkinton, we didn’t know of the Camp Fire organization, which is still going strong through the Monticello and Hopkinton communities today.

   Every year when I interview the Scouts, though, I get a sense that Scouts is far and above what we had as kids. These Scouts are going on high-adventure trips to Canada. They get to experience camping and outdoor excursions.

   Becoming an Eagle Scout stays with these kids for their entire lives. It helps in the pursuit of college scholarships and future careers.

   Many well-known and famous figures in our nation’s history are/were Eagle Scouts: Neil Armstrong, Donald Rumsfeld, Bill Clinton, Jon Heder (yes, Napoleon Dynamite), Walter Cronkite, Michael Bloomberg, Hank Aaron, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Jordan, Tommy Lasorda, Nolan Ryan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jon Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffet, Harrison Ford, Zach Galifianakis (yes, from the “Hangover” movies), Andy Griffith, Chris Pratt, Steven Spielberg, George Strait, John Wayne, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, Ross Perot, Bill Gates, and so many more.

   I’d say Troop 66 and Monticello is well on its way to helping young community members become upstanding citizens as they work hard to earn that Eagle Scout honor.

   While we’re on the topic of Monticello, I can’t help but briefly address a Letter to the Editor in this week’s Express. The author of that letter states that “something needs to happen to kick-start” our community. I’d say Monticello is a great place to be!

   He seems to be scratching his head as to “what makes Monticello tick.” We are a town of many things and many people; we don’t need that ONE thing to make us stand out from all the rest. We have two great schools here. We have local people running local businesses and outsiders who saw enough of our city to bring their businesses here, too; all contributing to the local economy. We have services for people of all ages through city services such as the public library and Parks and Rec. We have a county fair that no doubt quadruples our town’s population for five days out of the summer. We have natural amenities that attract people here: the Maquoketa River and Pictured Rocks Park. We have Camp Courageous. We have a regional airport. We have a community newspaper. We have restaurants and bars and coffee shops. We have gas stations and convenience stores. We have a couple of hotels. We have industries and manufacturing companies producing goods right here in Monticello. We have stores and shops throughout the downtown district. We have a vibrant chamber of commerce. Main Street Monticello is looking to do some great things for our downtown. I could go on and on…

   The author of this letter asks how long our two new restaurants/bars will last… Well, I hope for years and decades to come! We don’t need that negative attitude when the downtown (both West and East First streets) are full of cars day and night again! It’s been a while since we’ve seen a packed downtown…

   He’s encouraging “thoughtful and intelligent people” to run for city council. Having covered these meetings for the past 14 years, we have had and continue to have great city servants; people who DO care about Monticello.

   So, again, that sort of attitude about our community isn’t necessary when Monticello has so much going for it.