AVON — A small group of Girl Scouts from Troop 167 are planning a trip to Europe in 2012.
Six Scouts and four adults will be making the journey that will mix fun with education.
Linda Sweany said she started organizing a European trip for Girl Scouts in 1991 when her own daughter was a member of the troop.
“We had so much fun, so I was asked to do another one,” she said. “This will be my fourth trip now.”
Girl Scouts planning to go on this trip are Katlyn Anderson, Emily and Elizabeth Plain, Autumn Shea, Emma Halter-Mann, and Shelby Brown. Adults who will be accompanying them include Sweany, Jennie Rowland, and Cheryl Halter.
The group will be visiting the Pax Lodge on the north side of London; the Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland; and Ireland.
“I am excited to see the Blarney Stone in Ireland,” Anderson said. “I’m going to kiss it and get lots of luck!”
NormandyBeach in France will also be on the agenda.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the Normandy Beach,” said Emily Plain. “I’m really into history.”
During the trip, the group will also visit Mount St. Michel.
“It’s an island for about half the day,” Sweany said. “When the tide is out, you can drive to it on the mudflats.”
Their experiences will help them to earn some new Girl Scout patches including a “travel/interest” patch. They also earn leadership points.
The trip, next June, will last 18 days so the troop is now focusing on raising funds.
They’ve planned several fundraisers, including a fashion show/tea party, a car wash, and the annual cookie sales.
“We will also be doing a ‘sup-n-sing,’” Sweany said. “We will serve supper and then the girls will sing for the entertainment.”
Each Girl Scout will chair a fundraising event leading up to the trip.
Anderson’s older sister, Leigh, went on the last European trip in 2007. She graduated from Avon High School in ‘10.
“She said Switzerland was the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life,” Anderson said. “I remember she brought back chocolate and it was so good.”
The group will be traveling by plane, ferry, double-decker bus, and most likely taxi.
“I just love seeing the girls’ faces when they see some of the sights,” Sweany said. “They love it and it’s such a good experience.”
She said it’s always amazing to visit places with so much history.
“You have that realization of just how young a country we are,” she said. “You go there and see things that are a 1,000 years old. We just don’t have that here.”
brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com
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