Medford Scouts awarded Eagle Rank at ceremony

On April 21, Medford Boy Scout Troop 536, Samoset Council and the BSA welcomed two area Scouts into the rank of Eagle.

Benjamin Grube and Luke Semrau have been part of Scouts BSA since elementary school and have been active Scouts for the last 10 years.

In a ceremony held at Cutting Edge youth center, the scouts were recognized for their achievements in the Scouting Community.

Representative James W. Edming and Senator Cory Tomczyk attended the ceremony and presented the Scouts with Citations from the State of Wisconsin.

Mr. Dennis Blaser from Samoset Council presented the Scouts with pins from the National Youth Leadership Training course that Luke and Ben participated in last summer. The pins represented the Leadership accomplishments the Scouts had learned and used at the leadership course.

Ben Grube

Ben Grube started Scouts as a Tiger scout in Pack 533 of Medford. He completed all the Cub Scout ranks including Arrow of Light. He advanced to Troop 533 in Medford in 5th grade. Ben has completed the Eagle Rank with 32 merit badges earning his Gold Palm.

Ben’s favorite merit badges were Railroading and Automotive Maintenance.

Ben is a Sophomore at Medford Area Senior high. He is part of the class of 2026. He enjoys video games, camping and working on lawn mowers and vehicles.

Ben’s Eagle Scout project included working with the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Rib Lake IAT Segment volunteers to build a 270 foot trail spur off the main Ice Age Trail and a dispersed camping area for Ice Age trail backpack hikers for the Rib Lake Segment. He led a team of 10 volunteers. The dispersed camping area included the building of 2 benches for the hikers, 3 camping pads and a camp register so that hikers could sign in. His team worked together well and had good weather. They were able to complete the project in one day. The owners of the property were extremely pleased on how well the Dispersed Camping area turned out and the Ice Age Trail Alliance was very happy to have the site created.

Luke Semrau

Luke Semrau started Scouts as a Lion in Spring Valley, Wis. then transferred to the Medford scouts in 4th grade. He has completed Eagle, has 35 merit badges and is earning his silver palm.

He liked the welding merit badge. He has earned National Outdoor awards for Hiking, Camping, and Conservation and has earned for the National Medal for Outdoor Achievement.

Luke is a Freshman at Medford Area Senior High. He is part of the class of 2027.

He enjoys soccer, has recently completed his black belt in taekwondo. He likes fishing and hunting, and shoots competitively with the Medford small bore rifle team.

Luke’s Eagle scout project was to build raised flower beds for Stepping Stones. This project was created for both some aesthetic value, and also allow options for some therapeutic gardening and a more inviting outdoor space for the victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, stalking, and human trafficking in Taylor County.

Luke organized and built 3 large raised beds and storage for Stepping Stones. Luke lead a team of Scouts and adults to create the raised beds with one work day. Stepping Stones was very happy with the addition of the Flower Beds to their outdoor space.