Miki Loosbrock, Scoutmaster of Troop 32, had six boys in her troop, and four of the six earned Eagle Scout Rank, which is no small task in the world of scouting.
Her troop members and their parents recently recognized her contributions with a glass plaque and personal thank-you letters at a Pizza Ranch gathering Sunday.
“Miki encouraged each scout to work toward their Eagle Scout rank through the years,” said Michele Wieneke.
“An Eagle Scout must earn at least 21 merit badges … Lots of paperwork and reports over the years, which Miki was happy to do.”
Her son, Mason, updated the city of Wilmont's 50-year-old Christmas street lights for his Eagle Scout project.
Three other Eagle Scouts emerged from Troop 32:
•Tyler DeCesare, son of Joel and Gina DeCesare of Luverne, built a Little Free Library in Luverne.
•Blake Madison, son of Les Madison and Dawn Anderson of Adrian, built a life-sized chessboard for the Adrian Campground.
•Brody Loosbrock, son of Brian and Miki Loosbrock of Wilmont, built a gaga ball pit for the Adrian Campground.
The other two scouts in Troop 32 are Mason Wenzel, son of Rob and Bronwyn Wenzel of Luverne, and Beau Loosbrock, son of Brian and Miki Loosbrock of Wilmont (brother of Brody).
Loosbrock presented each of them with a small bronze statue of a scout raising an eagle on his arm.
Wieneke said the little troop was active in all kinds of scouting activities and trips. For example:
•They attended the Winter Klondike Derby — always placing and winning it a couple of times.
•They camped outdoors in the winter.
•They butchered their own hog and cooked it while camping at Newton Hills.
•They camped with the National Guard.
•They took a four-night canoe trip down the river in Yankton, South Dakota.
•They traveled to Custer, South Dakota, where they biked 22 miles to earn a merit badge.
“They had so many unique experiences with scouting,” Wieneke said.
“With the help and guidance of Miki and the Boy Scouts parents, Troop 32 was able to raise funds for a trip of a lifetime to Canada where they took a plane into the back country and portaged canoes in the Boundary Waters in July 2017.”
She said during many overnight camping trips Loosbrock, being the only female, would sleep in her pickup.
While Sunday’s event was to honor Loosbrock, Wieneke said others also contributed to the troop’s success.
“Rob Wenzel and Les Madison went camping a lot with the boys. They were both leaders willing to help out in any way they could, and they both attended BSA camp with the boys. Rob was in charge of the yearly ice fishing campout,” Wieneke said.
She also praised Casey McKenzie. “Since Troop 32 dissolved before Brody and Mason earned Eagle Rank, Casey chartered the boys under Troop 280 of Luverne,” Wieneke said.