Churchill County High School senior Toby Escobar and his team completed a project to paint the Fallon “F” on Rattlesnake Hill to earn Eagle Scout honors.
The pandemic left Toby Escobar in a tough situation in completing his Eagle Scout project before turning 18 in July.
Escobar, a Churchill County High School senior, found the perfect – and symbolic – opportunity to complete his project: painting the Fallon “F” on Rattlesnake Hill. Escobar and a team of 21 Scouts and Scout masters were able to complete this project in June, one month before Escobar’s birthday. Escobar was awarded his Eagle Scout in August.
Escobar did his homework to ensure the project would be completed quickly and efficiently.
He contacted the city of Fallon for permission, and he received full support and permission to paint the “F.” Louie's ACE Home Center donated 20 gallons of paint. Escobar and his team finished the project in one day, which included clearing out the weeds around the paint area and adjusting the plan.
“It didn’t go as planned,” Escobar said. “There were some times when there was an error and we had to run into town. It threw the schedule off. We were going to use buckets and mops and go over the top. The mops ended up breaking. We got a spray gun. The day was so hot that the paint ended up thickening. It actually worked a lot better that day.”
Escobar said the team added water to the paint and mixed it to help with the thickening. Even with the delays, they were able to finish in the afternoon after starting just after 8 a.m. Escobar rewarded his team by treating them to lunch with sandwiches from Getto Subs.
“Doing painting was difficult. We had some errors,” he added. “What stands out really well is with the smoke, you can see it much better. It was faded out so much. It’s almost lighting up the whole sky. I’m proud of that. it’s something to represent my town. It was fun.”
Escobar, a member of Boy Scouts of America Troop 1776, also known as Troop Independence, began with Cub Scouts in second grade before transferring into boy scouts in 2014. In all, he’s completed about 20 projects, mostly with the Eagle Scouts, including replacing a bench at Rattlesnake Hill, installing flag poles and building a gazebo for a church.
This summer project, though, has stood out because Escobar was able to adjust his plan and still complete the project within the same day.
“If you come across a problem, you need to figure out a solution to fix it,” he said. “That’s where critical thinking comes in and you step up. You have this problem and ask what our options are.”
Escobar, who does JROTC at the high school and is a member of the Lahontan Valley Birddog Club, plans on joining the Navy after he graduates next spring.
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