Eagle Scout’s ‘Cornhole Area’ Installed at Mead Park

A local park is now benefitting from an Eagle Scout project that town officials approved earlier this year.

Troop 70 Life Scout Jason Generalis received unanimous approval from the Parks & Recreation Commission when he came before the appointed body in March seeking approval to install a cornhole area at Mead Park.

At the Commission’s most recent meeting, Generalis reviewed the work that went into creating the new area, which on completion immediately began drawing passersby and players, he said.

“I hope the town can get a lot of use out of it,” Generalis told Parks & Rec members during their Oct. 9 meeting, held at Lapham Community Center and via videoconference. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

In all, about 200 hours of work and help from “tons of volunteers” went into creating and installing the cornhole boards in the former horseshoe pit area, Generalis said. (That’s just beyond Gamble Field’s right-field fence, west of Mead’s popular playground area.)

Generalis thanked the town—and specifically Parks & Recreation Director John Howe, then-Assistant Superintendent of Parks Ryan Restivo and Superintendent of Parks Todd Deklyn.

The teen said the project was born because his own family started playing the game during the pandemic. 

“Our whole family got into it during quarantine, so I thought it would be fun to share our new gaming experience with the town,” he said.

The family cleared both cars out of its garage to make space for the creation of the cornhole boards, putting down tarps to create two-by-four-foot frames for them. Generalis and fellow scouts “primed and waterproofed the edges of the plywood to make sure it lasts as long as possible,” he said.

“Obviously you don’t want them to break after a year,” he said. “We are hoping they last a solid five to seven years so the town gets a lot of use out of them.”

Generalis said he purchased logos from 84 Sports, a local business that laser-cut them to fit the boards. The project also called for creation of a box to keep the bags so they stay dry. The town helped by bringing out a roller to ensure the area was smooth, and 14 scouts followed up by raking stone dust material at Mead to ensure the pitch is flat, he said.

Just 15 minutes are it was completed, “a family went over to play” on its own, Generalis said.

“I played the next day with my grandpa,” he added.

Commission Chair George Benington thanked Generalis and his fellow scouts.

“Please express our appreciation for all of the hard work,” he said.

Generalis received a round of applause from the full Commission.

Howe said the town plans to store the materials in the winter.

Asked whether he had obtained Eagle Scout status yet, Generalis said that he was planning to apply in the early part of 2025.