AVON LAKE, Ohio – Nick Zangas, of Avon Lake Scout Troop 338, became fascinated with an old Avon Lake landmark. Kekic’s gas station, dating back to the 1930s, featured a replica of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane atop a pole. People came from near and far to see the wood and metal landmark.
The gas station was located on Lake Road about one-quarter mile west of the Bay Village border. The lot is private property now with a house on it.
Zangas’ Eagle Scout project is to build a replica of the landmark to recall the days when people frequently stopped at Tom Kekic’s gas station for directions to destinations in the area or just to socialize. The Lindbergh airplane was a popular sight in the city—that is, until it was stolen.
To this day, said Zangas, no one knows who stole the landmark or to where it was moved. He said Tony Tomanek of Heritage Avon Lake suggested it was stolen for scrap metal because the airplane was a wooden frame wrapped in sheet metal.
But there is also a rumor about a particular person that may have the stolen, “now-historic” symbol of Lindbergh’s great accomplishment as the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane. Zangas said he will be looking into the rumor.
Zangas is 16 and a junior at St. Edward’s High School in Lakewood. Tomanek approached him more than a year ago with a list of possible projects for his Eagle Scout effort. One was the Kekic plane. The decision was made.
“I wanted something that would last and stand out and be exciting,” said Zangas. “It was very interesting--from the airplane’s history to the mystery. When the station closed in the 1990’s, the airplane was taken down to be moved. Within 24 hours, somebody took it,” he said.
Though building the airplane replica will be a special experience for Zangas, he said experiences he has had in the Scouts over the years made an impression on him. “There are things that I have learned through Scouts that have made me a better and a more complete person,” he said. “I feel like a stronger leader and I have more ambition and more drive because I had the opportunity to work with such excellent people. I am grateful for it.”
Nick Zangas will complete his Eagle Scout project with a reproduction of the Kekic gas station airplane in Avon Lake.
Zangas also had a role model in his quest from Cub Scout to reaching for the highest rank available in the Scouts. His father brought his son into the Scouts in the first grade and is still a scout master for the troop.
In building the replica of the airplane, Zangas said, “I want it to be as authentic as possible.” That means a wood frame with sheet metal and painted orange with blue lettering.
“We will put it in Miller Road Park on a tall pole, same as the original. I want it to be a public example of Avon Lake history. My goal is authenticity.”
There will be an unveiling of the airplane and a plaque, scheduled for when the project is finished. Zangas said they are shooting for early October as the actual building of the replica will begin the first week of September.
The overall cost of the project is about $1500, he noted, but Northern Hammerworks on Miller Road is donating time and parts, bringing the balance down to about $300, which will be covered by Heritage Avon Lake.
During the planning of the project, Zangas said he talked to people who grew up around the Kekic airplane and gas station. “It was a landmark from Old Avon Lake,” he said. “It was part of small town America. And that’s what my project is going to mean to the community.”