It's time again when Nicole Wiederhold, East Norwegian Township, reminds friends and family to order their annual supply of Girl Scout cookies.
"It's a really enjoyable time of year. Everybody loves Girl Scout cookies," said Wiederhold, a sophomore at Pottsville Area High School and a senior Girl Scout with Troop 31072 in Saint Clair.
But this year's effort is special. It's more celebratory, since 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America.
Locally, the occasion will be observed with a parade scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 19 in Saint Clair, according to Corinne Sabaday, Saint Clair.
She's the manager of Girl Scout Service Unit 323, which serves Girl Scout troops in Saint Clair, Port Carbon, Pottsville and Minersville. She's also the leader of Girl Scout Brownie Troop 31117 of Saint Clair.
Nationally, nearly 4 million girls and adult volunteers enjoy the Girl Scout experience. Regional organizations which support local troops include Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, which serves 30 counties, including Schuylkill and Columbia.
"There are currently 898 girls from Schuylkill County registered with Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania," Tom Schaeffer, communications manager for the organization said Thursday.
Sabaday said she hopes to attract "at least 250" for the parade.
"It's just a way for people to see that they still have Girl Scouting in Schuylkill County. And some people don't realize that the program is that big," Sabaday said.
Girl Scouts interested in marching can contact Sabaday at sabs2@ptd.net.
Wiederhold said she'll be among the Scouts in the march.
"It'll really help to show our Girl Scout colors and our pride in the Girl Scouts from Schuylkill County," Wiederhold said.
Wiederhold said there are numerous reasons why she became a Scout.
"I joined just for an activity after school and I've been a Girl Scout for 11 years, since I was in kindergarten. I enjoy the activities, gaining leadership skills and being around friends," she said.
Other Girl Scout centennial events scheduled in Schuylkill County include the following:
- Starting Feb. 3, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and Schuylkill On The Move will challenge Girl Scouts to walk 100 miles in 100 days. "All troops will have from Feb. 3 to May 12 to log miles," Schaeffer said. Troops planning to participate must contact Andrea Zajac, membership associate, at azajac@gshpa.org or by calling 717-585-8220.
- On April 14, Service Unit 329 of the Valley View/Hegins Area will host a community event titled Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting.
- On Oct. 13, Service Unit 324 of the Schuylkill Haven/Orwigsburg Area will host a Girl Scout Community Day titled "It's Your Community - Love It!"
- On Oct. 14, Service Unit 302 of the Frackville/Ashland/Mahanoy City Area will host a community event, "100 Reasons to be a Girl Scout."
Meanwhile, individual troops are also celebrating the 100th anniversary in their own way.
"My daughter's troop set their cookie goal at 100 boxes each in honor of the centennial," said Kimberly Eccleston Kimmel, Ashland. Her daughter, Sarah Kimmel, 8, is part of Brownie Troop 31100.
The first Girl Scout troop in Schuylkill County was started in Schuylkill Haven in 1917 with assistance of the former Schuylkill Haven High School, according to Pat Johns, Schuylikill Haven and Schaeffer.
Johns, 68, has been a registered Girl Scout for 52 years and is currently leader of Daisy Troop 31051 in Schuylkill Haven.
"Between 1913 and 1915, Pastor Hayes down at the former St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Schuylkill Haven started the first Boy Scout troop in the area. And there was a young girl who was a member of the church who turned 12 in 1917, Maud Iona Paxson. That was the age you had to be to join the Girl Scouts back then," Johns said.
Since there wasn't a Girl Scout troop in the county at the time, Paxson made an effort to start one.
"She was kind of a women's libber back then. Whatever boys had, she thought girls should too. And she wanted to be a Girl Scout. So she went to the high school and spoke to teachers to see if she could get them involved in becoming Girl Scout leaders," Johns said.
Teachers got behind the effort and formed Girl Scout Troop No. 1 of Schuylkill Haven, according to Johns and Schaeffer.
Paxson, whose married name was Feeser, died July 8, 1996 at age 90, according to her obituary published in the July 9, 1996 edition of The Republican-Herald.