Student collects data at county fair

In order for Alexander Thompson (11) to become an Eagle Scout, one of his requirements is to complete an Eagle Scout project.

Thompson’s project involved distributing a survey at the Wayne County Fair.

His main goal for the project is to analyze the data collected at the fair to find an estimate of how the fair impacts Wooster economically.

Once Thompson finds out the economic impact, he will submit a report to the fair board.

Thompson decided to do this project when he learned that stadiums are not economically beneficial, so he wanted to know if the Wayne County Fair was the same way.

“The goals of an Eagle Scout project are to demonstrate leadership and to help the community,” Thompson said.

Craig Reynolds, the Scoutmaster of Troop 61, the troop Thompson belongs to, offered his assistance to Thompson for his project.

“Mostly, it’s about providing advice and steering him in the right way. A scout is supposed to identify some sort of philanthropic project that will help a nonprofit entity,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds explained that it was mainly Thompson’s responsibility to lead the project, although he relied on volunteers to help distribute surveys.

Dr. Russ Kashian at the University of Wisconsin-Whitefield is also helping Thompson by analyzing his data and finding out the impact.