Find out more →]]> Submitted by Troop Leader Lee Merrill

When you hear the word “luau,” Benton, Tennessee, probably doesn’t come to mind.  But when native Samoans from all over the country converge on this little town for a family reunion, that is exactly what you get: a luau!

Benton United Methodist Church hosted the event, and the girls of Troop 40449 volunteered to keep the luau clean and litter-free.

But it wasn’t all work. The girls enjoyed great Polynesian food and dancing.

The troop thanks our own Teppa and “Aunt Lizzie”(who flew in from California) and the rest of the family for allowing us to share this fantastic day with them. They saw dances representing cultures across the Pacific, from Hawaiian and American Samoan to the Maori in New Zealand. The girls knew they would be asked to participate, and spent two months perfecting their moves.

The girls preparing to pick up trash

Great food

Dancing with the ladies of Benton United Methodist Church

No one told us we had to wear grass skirts!

It's not all wahinis (girls) and grass skirts!

The family

Find out more →]]> Top American Idol contestants going on a nation-wide tour this summer. The the American Idol Live tour comes to Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena August 6 with discounted tickets for Girl Scout groups.

American Idol Tour
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville
Date: August 6
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Discount: $10 off $66 price ( floor rows 1 -33 and lower balcony sections 103-107 and 119-123)
$10 off $46 price (floor rows 34 -47 and lower balcony sections 108-118)

For details and to order, call 865-250-3842 or email  knoxgroups@aol.com by July 24.

Find out more →]]> The cookies our girls worked so hard to sell for the council’s Mountain of Hope project are getting into the hands of our troops. A little at a time, more than 9,000 boxes are being distributed to members of the army and air national guards. Photos from a distribution in Tullahoma, Tennessee are below.

Barbara Sanders of the Tennessee National Guard writes:

We are so grateful for people and organizations that take the time to go out of their way to support the military. The amount of cookies that were bought in supportof the us is outstanding. Thanks again for all your efforts and support!

Find out more →]]> Registered Girl Scouts are eligible for discounted tickets to the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway on Friday, June 14. Come experience the nitro-burning, pulse-pounding excitement of Thunder Valley racing and racers reaching speeds of 320 miles per hour.

Grandstand tickets valued at $35 are discounted to just $10 for Girl Scouts. Each Girl Scout may purchase up to 10 tickets for family and friends. Bristol Motor Speedway is donating six dollars from every ticket sold to the council.

Click here for the order form. Mail orders must be received by May 28. The Johnson City Service Center will be selling tickets over the counter through June 5.

Find out more →]]> The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream presents Kids Day at Philips Arena on Tuesday, June 25 at noon. Seats are $12 or $14. Beyond the action on the court, kids will enjoy face painting, balloon artistry, and more.

Click here for details and the registration form.

Find out more →]]> Get excited about attending college by attending the Girl University and Campus Tours, hosted by Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee.

Girl University is Saturday, June 22 at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Parents/Guardians and rising 7th-8th graders are invited to attend this day to learn about life after high school led by a team of experts. You do not have to be a registered Girl Scout to attend Girl University or Campus Tours.

Girl University is for rising 7th-12th graders and their parent/guardian. Check in for Girl University begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program concluding at 3 p.m. Everyone can register for door prizes, and each attendee will take part in several college-prep workshops. Lunch is included for all girls and parents/guardians. Girls are encouraged to have an adult with them.

Campus Tours is for rising 9th-12th graders and starts immediately after Girl University. Campus Tours is for girls only and it will be chaperoned by Girl Scout staff and volunteers.

Those girls attending Campus Tours will check-in immediately following Girl University. Our first stop on Campus Tours is Lipscomb University, and after Lipscomb we will start our three day road trip aboard a private motor coach. On this road trip we will visit several colleges, where you can get a feel for what college life is really like. All transportation, food, and lodging are provided during Campus Tours. The other colleges we will visit are Western Kentucky, Centre, Berea, Tennessee Tech, the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and Meharry Medical and Watkins College of Art and Design. The tour ends Tuesday, June 25.

Click here to see details.

Register online for one or both programs. Registrations are due May 23.

Find out more →]]> Come cheer on the WNBA Atlanta Dream as the team hosts the Phoenix Mercury at a special Girl Scout Day event. Tickets to the September 8 game are $14 per person, and girls will get special patches (limited availability).

See the flyer.

Find out more →]]> The Hamblen County Service Unit will host a summer day camp with the theme “Design: Fashion, Interior, and Architecture” July 22, 23, 25, and 26 at Liberty United Methodist Church (1508 Old Liberty Hill Road, Morristown).

Daisies through Juniors should be dropped off by 9 a.m. and picked up at 1 p.m. Cadettes and older girls are invited to attend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving them extra time to work with the younger girls in the morning and complete their own projects in the afternoon.

Cost: $25 for registered Girl Scout
$37 for non-registered Girl Scout (includes 2012-13 registration)

A girl may use up to $20 in cookie dough toward the registration fee.I f two sisters in the same household have $50 in cookie dough, they may use it to cover the entire registration fee. Cookie dough cannot be used to purchase food or T-shirts.

Campers and adults may bring a lunch or purchase a catered meal for $6.50 per day.The Federal Government Summer Food Program will be accessible for toddlers-high school age campers.

T-shirts are $7 in child sizes and $8 to $9 for adult sizes.

Adult volunteers are needed to help with camp, and tagalongs are welcome with a volunteering adult.

Participating troops are asked to bring hygiene items to donate to the church.Call Camp Director Heather Livesay at 423-586-5912 with questions.

Registration is due by June 15 to: Sharon O’Dowd, 500 Blue Grass Drive, Morristown, TN, 37814. Make checks payable to Hamblen GS Day Camp.

Click here for the registration form and more details.

Find out more →]]> Join a fun overnight, lock-in at one of Pigeon Forge’s most exciting attractions – WonderWorks!

Cost includes admission, pizza and soda, laser tag, scavenger hunt, a participation patch for all scouts, and a light breakfast in the morning! For more information, contact Kerensa Archer by phone at: (865) 868-1815 or by email at: karcher@wonderworkstn.com.

Location: WonderWorks, Pigeon Forge
Date: Sept. 14 – Sept. 15
Cost: $35 + tax per person

Click to see the flyer.

Find out more →]]> Start off the Girl Scout year with a Family Fun Day in Banner Elk, NC. Enjoy a day full of fun family-togetherness! All activities and lunch included in the program fee.

Activities include:
Target Sports: archery & sling shot
Lake Lyons: kayaks, tube slide, zip line, swimming, and party barge
Zip Line: 350 feet and 120 foot mountain slide
Crafts: survivor bracelets
Climbing Wall
Wildcat Lake: canoeing and swimming
Team Building: 10 different activities

Location: Holston Center 6993 Hickory Nut Gap Road
Banner Elk, North Carolina
Date: August 3
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: $16 per person (all family members are eligible to attend)

Register through Holston Retreat Center by emailing: holstoncamp@gmail.com by July 12.