Area Scout cleans cemetery headstones

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Dominique "Dom" Mast of Guttenberg organized and researched a project to clean the headstones at St. John's Cemetery located on Jolly Ridge Road for his Eagle Scout project. (Photo submitted)

By Caroline Rosacker

Working towards becoming an Eagle Scout can be a lengthy process. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts earn this classification. It is considered the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program by the Boy Scouts of America.  

Dominique "Dom" Mast, son of Joe and Dana Mast of Guttenberg, earned his Eagle Scout ranking following the completion of his Eagle Scout project. 

Dom, who enjoys fishing and hunting, recently finished his sophomore year at Clayton Ridge, and began participating in the Scouting program as a Cub Scout in the third grade. He plays football and baseball for Clayton Ridge, and is also employed at Top Gun in Garnavillo. 

Eagle Scout project

The ambitious Scout chose to clean the headstones at St. John's Cemetery located on Jolly Ridge Road for his Eagle Scout project. "I contacted the Morris Funeral Home director and he gave me a list, and the contact information of the St. John's cemetery board members," began Dom. "Sadly the headstones had not been cleaned in quite a while so I had to research online the best way to tackle the project while still maintaining the integrity of the headstones." 

The project was recommended by one of his fellow scouts, Wesley Devany's grandfather, the late Harley Andregg. 

Dom and his crew of helpers used D2 Biological Solution mixed with water in spray bottles to breakdown the accumulated grime before carefully scrubbing the area with a plastic bristle brush. They used a plastic putty knife for deeper crevices, and then rinsed off the area with clean water. "We were grateful for Harley's assistance," Dom commented. "He borrowed an empty tank from Dave's Feed Store in Luxemburg and filled it with fresh water so we could use it to mix the chemicals and clean the headstones off with fresh water when we were done."

In addition to cleaning the headstones the Scouts also learned about the history of St. John's Cemetery. 

The Eagle Scout is grateful for all the donations that went toward the project and the many individuals who helped that day. "At first glance we thought we would only be cleaning a few of the almost 50 headstones, but in the end we cleaned them all. They really look nice," he proudly shared.

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