Access Energy Sponsors Scout Project
The million-plus visitors to the Iowa State Fair will be able to navigate the fairgrounds and quickly check event time and locations thanks to a project sponsored by Access Energy Cooperative and the other Touchstone Energy Cooperatives in Iowa.
This project involves the creation of signs that are in six locations, including three entry gates and three additional internal sites, and display a full-color map of the fairgrounds, six interchangeable sections with the Iowa State Fair's schedule of events and a sponsor logo area announcing the support of the service by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa. The eight-foot wide signs are permanent fixtures at the fairgrounds and also display information during the 200-plus interim events held year round.
Boy Scout Andy Hill, a student at Valley High School, West Des Moines, saw the need for the signs and decided to pursue the project to complete his Eagle Scout designation in 2004. Andy created a blueprint for the signs and enlisted the help of his father, Denny, a skill sign-maker, to complete the project.
Andy explains his motivation for the project, "I saw the large maps at Adventureland Park and went to the fair the same week, where I got lost. When looking for an Eagle Project the next spring, I remembered those maps and put two and two together and that's what sparked my idea for the project. I really enjoy knowing I'm part of something of such a large scale like the Iowa State Fair. "
Dates for the 2005 Iowa State Fair are Aug. 11-21. The theme is "America's Favorite Fair."