Cedar Hill Museum Needs YOU!

Here's a guest post from Pat, Janet and the rest of the Eastern Mass Historians....

We are need help at the Cedar Hill Museum. The Girl Scout Historical Collection from the Middleboro office has been in storage for many years. This costs money which we no longer have. 

Over the past years Historians have spent hours in the storage facility weeding through file cabinets and shelves full of boxes of memorabilia, uniforms, books, and records. We have brought truck and car loads of items to Cedar Hill where methods of dealing with it all have been taking shape. This enormous task of sorting – discovering what treasures must be kept and incorporated into the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Museum Collection, and whether duplicates or triplicates should be discarded (and how) - is not simple. This is  a time consuming process, using proper museum procedures. 

Space at Cedar Hill has been made available beginning in July. Now we need your help. Please write us into your calendars. We promise fun, air conditioning, and lunch time fellowship (bring your own brown bag goodies.)

We’ll work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm on the following days: July 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and  August 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29. 

College students who are interested in History, Gender Studies, Recreation, Archiving and Museum work; maybe you’ll find a paper or presentation topic in addition to learning about collections!

Your volunteer time is appreciated. Please call the museum at 781-373-4360 or email cedarhillmuseum@live.com and let us know when you can come (so we can plan to have work set up for you.)

Please, make us an important part of your summer.

New Friends and Old

Kathy says:  I just sent in my registration and before you know it Great Escape will be here. I‘m part of the Thursday night crew - we volunteer to go early to set up the camp: clean the kitchen and dishes, set up tables and benches in the dining hall, bring supplies to washhouses and  workshop sites and run to the store when the cooks need something.

Why do I do this? I believe in the purpose behind the Great Escape - yes it is a weekend for "me" time but it is so much more. It is a time to meet with friends seen once or twice a year and to catch up with all that has happened since last met- sharing hugs and sometimes tears;  to be away from the stress of work and life in general; to gather fresh ideas and new songs to bring back to Girl Scout troops and leaders; to bask in the sunshine and crisp fresh air of New Hampshire (and sometimes to shiver and huddle away from the rain, after all this is New England);  to laugh and laugh some more; to make new friends who become cherished old friends; to realize the love of the Girl Scout program we all share and to know we are a part of the bigger picture.

I read Kaye's post and what she said is so true -I too come away from this weekend with so much more than I bring. Join us and see if it isn’t the same for you. I always enjoy making a new friend!

Register at: http://gsgreatescape.org/registration/

Register to Sing and Play

Kaye/Cookie writes to all her many friends: 

"It doesn't seem to matter where on earth I have been during the year (sometimes that's many places), the smiles that are shared with me at the Great Escape are always extra special.   The investment of time and effort needed to register, load up my instruments, print the ‘fan’ clear my schedule, and drive up to New Hampshire has always paid greater dividends than I imagined it could.  Everyone deserves this kind of good time!"

This year Kaye is teaching stained glass snowflakes, glass mosaic nightlights and harmony singing!  Register now, because her classes always fill fast! 

Registration is now open at:  http://gsgreatescape.org/registration/

The Great Girl Scout Hike 2012

Laura writes:  As we celebrated the 100^th birthday of Girl Scouts in 2012, a special anniversary event was launched:  The Great Girl Scout Hike.  The goal was to have Girl Scouts of all ages hike bits and pieces of the Appalachian Trail during 2012.  The AT,  a National Scenic Trail, wends over 2000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.  The Great Girl Scout Hike was inspired by Mary “Mama Boots” Sands who led hikes of sections of the AT with groups of Girl Scouts for 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s.

At Great Escape 2012, a group of us participated in the Great Girl Scout Hike.  The Appalachian Trail travels across New Hampshire north of Camp Wabasso.  One of the closest access points is about an hour’s drive away in Norwich, Vermont.  In Norwich we hiked about 7 miles round-trip to the Happy Hill Shelter, a stone and wood shelter for AT hikers built by the Dartmouth Outing Club and maintained by the Green Mountain Club.  We ate lunch at the shelter.  Although it rained lightly off and on during our hike, we had a great time.  We met several through hikers on the trail headed north and met a group hike organized by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  They were celebrating Family Hiking Day on the AT.  We learned from them that it was a special anniversary for the Appalachian Trail as well.  2012 was the 75^th anniversary of the completion of the AT. (See a few photos from the hike at http://gsgreatescape.org/photographs/ )

Inspired by our hike last year, I will be offering a ½ day hike at Great Escape 2013,  closer to camp.  We‘ll travel to Rollins State Park in Warner and hike to the summit of Mount Kearsarge.  There are sweeping views from the rocky summit and even a fire tower.   This is a great hike for Scouts camping at Camp Wabasso.    I hope others will join me for this hike.

Workshop Preview: Me-Time Crafts

Danielle here!  As a kid, I loved camp. And given the opportunity (and time) to go back now, I would. But sometimes being with new girl friends 24/7 for two weeks can be a bit much. All the sharing, swimming, learning, and socializing can leave you feeling as if you need 10 minutes to just hang out quietly by the lake, which is why I loved "me-time." Me-time was camp speak for unscheduled, do-what-you-want between activities time (at least at Camp Chenoa -- Swift Water (Green & White Mountains), represent!).

One thing I loved to do during me-time was work on a small craft -- something that could be easily picked up and put down as time, location, and friends allowed. I hope to run an entire series of Great Escape workshops for different me-time craft ideas, but one I'll be doing this year is the me-time craft most dear to my heart: GIMP! Gimp, also known as plastic lacing, is a well-beloved craft for Girl Scouts. We'll cover a few of the basic stitches and "finishing touches" to turn your gimp items into bracelets, key chains, or other fun accessories.  http://pinterest.com/pin/424534702344197717/

We'll also explore the craftier side of every prepared Girl Scout's favorite must-have item: DUCT TAPE! It's not just gray and boring anymore. It comes in all sorts of crazy patterns and colors! We'll explore fun, easy-to-make items that you keep and can take back to your girls.

Now, go register for the Great Escape and for your workshops! http://gsgreatescape.org/workshops/

Registration Is Open!

You can register for the 2013 Great Escape by going to the link, below;

http://gsgreatescape.org/registration/

See you there; October 4 - 6, 2013!