4/5 Ariel W. 2 years ago on Google
This
park
is
named
for
nationally
recognized
Boy
Scout
enthusiast
and
supporter
Mike
Machek.
One
evening
in
late
1940,
Machek
stepped
in
to
lead
his
sons
Boy
Scout
meeting.
When
the
scoutmaster
never
returned,
he
took
over
even
though
he
didn't
know
anything
about
scouting.
He
went
through
the
whole
scouting
program
himself
up
to
Eagle
Scout
because
he
felt
he
had
to
experience
it
to
teach
it.
He
was
then
chosen
to
instruct
other
scout
leaders
and
eventually
he
did
so
all
over
the
world.
Even
though
he
traveled
he
still
oversaw
troop
No.
302
in
Delray
Beach
where
he
kept
up
their
merit
badges
and
took
them
camping
until
he
was
not
able
to
physically
do
it
anymore.
Machek
helped
build
Camp
Tanah
Keeta,
a
Boy
Scout
camp
in
Tequesta
and
a
five
mile
trail
there
was
named
in
his
honor.
He
was
involved
with
scouting
for
over
40
years
not
only
helping
and
teaching
his
own
sons
but
touching
the
lives
of
countless
other
boys
too.
In
addition
to
helping
the
scouts,
Mike
Machek
also
owned
Delray
Farms
Inc.
where
he
grew
green
beans
and
gladiolus.
He
was
president
of
the
Palm
Beach
County
Farm
Bureau
and
director
of
the
South
Florida
Fair.
His
son
Richard
Machek
grew
up
to
become
a
State
Representative.
Mike
Machek
passed
away
in
1991
at
the
age
of
80.
In
2005,
a
5
acre
park
in
Delray
Beach
on
Lake
Ida
Road
was
named
in
honor
of
Mike
Machek.
The
effort
to
name
the
park
for
Machek
was
spearheaded
by
City
Commissioner
Bob
Costin
who
went
to
school
with
Machek's
son
Ronald.
The
$500,000
park
was
paid
with
money
from
a
bond
issue
that
passed
the
previous
year.
The
park
contains
the
concrete
building
named
the
Mike
Machek
Scout
Hut
where
the
Delray
Beach
scouts
have
met
for
decades.
Other
park
amenities
include
an
exercise
path
with
stations,
picnic
pavilion,
playground,
and
open
play
area.
When
I
was
there
someone
was
having
a
kid's
birthday
party.
What
a
nice
honor
to
name
the
park
for
a
man
who
gave
so
much
to
his
community
and
who
left
a
lasting
legacy
in
the
lives
of
the
generations
of
scouts
he
mentored.
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