The Coshocton County Beacon February 11, 2021 | Page 15

It ’ s Girl Scout cookie season

By Marianne Austin

TheCoshoctonBeaconToday . com

This year selling cookies may be more challenging but ordering cookies is pretty easy with the online ordering site that started Feb . 1 . Anyone can still buy cookies directly from the girls themselves , if the individual want to do that , just contact any Girl Scout .

Mary Haines Hagans has been the Girl Scout leader for Troop 2625 Coshocton / Conesville for 10 years .

“ One hundred percent of the girls usually participate in selling cookies . Our goal is to sell 2,700 boxes of cookies and normally it ’ s easy . I turned in the initial order yesterday and we are not even half way there yet . One factor is not having the booth access out in public , the girls have order cards and can sell to family and friends though . They created their own website for a digital cookie store to print orders through their site and to ship cookie orders direct beginning the middle of February . They can go door to door with forms or ask people they know but it ’ s up to the parents what they want their child to do . The girls vote on what they want our sales goal to be . Normally , we have no problem meeting our goal ,” Hagans said .

When setting goals , they have to consider their expenses .

“ We need to buy sashes and badges for the girls , and any activity we want to do like go bowling , go to the zoo or whatever

, we consider the cost and how many cookies we will need to sell ,” Hagans said . “ Two years ago , we camped overnight at the Columbus Zoo . It was really fun . We camped in the education hall , the zoo guide took us on a tour of parts of the zoo you wouldn ’ t normally see , and they provided breakfast . The girls slept on cots , air mattresses or in sleeping bags . It was one big sleepover at the zoo .”

Although Thin Mints have been top seller for many years on the national level Hagans said it ’ s always close between Tagalongs and Thin Mints for their troop .

Beginning in January every year folks look forward to Girl Scout Cookie time and Girl Scouts look forward to using money they raise to help others . Troop 8169 plans to use some of their money to help homeless animals .

“ One year Tagalongs will be top seller and another year it ’ s Thin Mints . I keep track so that we know what to order but it ’ s always close ,” she said .

Her troop is part of the Ohio Heartland Council Steller Seller event .

“ If a girl sells 1,000 boxes she gets recognition as a Steller Seller and the parents can come . We had one girl that sold 2,000 boxes . If they sell at least 2,001 boxes they get free camp for a

week . A couple years ago , one of our girls got free camp ,” Hagans said .

Two years ago , the Steller Sellers were treated to a ride in a limousine , a red carpet , sash and a crown and dinner with families included . Scout leader Tammy Gray set it all up .

“ We had a Cookie Queen Float in the Memorial Day parade and a float in the Christmas parade , so they got extra recognition for cookie sales ,” she said .

Gray has been a scout leader for more than 30 years . She was a Girl Scout herself for 12 years and became a leader . She has been the leader of the same troop 669 since she started with 28 girls this year of all ages in her troop including Daisies , Brownies , Juniors , Cadets and Seniors .

“ We have the same troop number but for different ages . We meet at the same time at different levels . I have several co-leaders . Without the parents help I couldn ’ t do it with the size of my troop ,” Gray said .

She was troop leader for both her daughter and granddaughter and now both of them are troop leaders .

“ Sales are down by a lot this year . I told my troop that I am not worried . We usually sell between 10 and 12 thousand boxes and we have only sold 4,000 so far . We have a lot of digital cookie sales which really helps . We usually have six or seven Steller Sellers . This year my biggest concern is their health . I work in a pharmacy , so I see it . The girls health and safety come first . Usually , we go on a trip to New York City , but we ’ ll shoot for next year . We have been having ZOOM meetings . As long as the county is in the red there will be no face-toface . We will do something fun once we are allowed ,” Gray said .

According to girlscouts . org Girls Scout Cookie sales have provided financial support for many years beginning in 1917 when as a way to finance troop activities the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee Oklahoma baked and sold sugar cookies in its high school cafeteria . In 1933 the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council followed suit and baked sugar cookies to sell from the city gas and electric company at 23 cents for a box of 44 cookies . A year later they were the first council to sell commercially baked cookies .

The Greater New York Girl Scout Federation sold commercially made cookies in 1935

using a die in the shape of a trefoil with the words Girl Scout Cookies on the box . By 1936 , they licensed the first commercial bakers to make cookies to be sold nationwide in the Girl Scout Councils .

Due to a shortage of sugar , flour and butter during WWII the Girl Scouts sold calendars to raise money instead . Cookie sales greatly increased after the war and 29 bakers were licensed to bake the cookies . By the 1950s the cookies came in three varieties : Sandwich , Shortbread and Chocolate Mints - now known as Thin Mints .

Five years later , flavors had evolved to a vanilla-based filled cookie , a chocolate-based filled one , shortbread , and a chocolate mint . Some bakers also offered another optional flavor .

During the 1960s , when Baby Boomers expanded Girl Scout membership , cookie sales increased significantly . Fourteen licensed bakers made thousands of Girl Scout Cookies annually and wrapped Girl Scout Cookie boxes in printed aluminum foil or cellophane to preserve freshness . By 1978 the bakers were reduced to four and for the first time all cookie boxes had the same design that showed Girl Scouts in action , hiking , canoeing and other activities . Today according to Girl Scouts of the USA , Thin Mints are still the top-selling cookie , followed in descending sales order by Caramel DeLites or Samoas , Tagalongs , Do-Si- Dos ( Peanut Butter Sandwiches ), and the original Trefoils or Shortbread .

In 1998 Girl Scouts of America introduced official age-appropriate awards for Girl Scout Brownies , Juniors , Cadettes , and Seniors , including the Cookie Activity pin , awarded for participating in the cookie sale .

Early in the 21st century the youngest Girl Scouts , Daisies could sell cookies too . New cookie box designs , introduced in fall of 2000 , were bold and bright , capturing the spirit of Girl Scouting . Two licensed bakers produced a maximum of eight varieties , including three that were mandatory - Thin Mints , Peanut Butter Sandwich / Do-si-dos , and Shortbread / Trefoils . Each year , about 40 girls will sell 1,000 b oxes . This year ’ s new cookie is Toast-Yay , a cinnamon icingdipped cookie shaped like a piece of bread . Income from cookie sales provide girls with community projects , trips and outdoor adventures .

Breighlynn Dile has set a goal to sell 1,000 Girl Scout cookies this year . As a member of Troop 2625 in Coshocton , she sold more than $ 1,000 for the Scouts ’ Nuts and Candy Sale last fall .

“ This is the first year I started from the beginning selling nuts and candy . I actually sold over $ 1,000 , which means I did

really good . I was first to get Steller Seller in the county . For

Aurora Earliwine with Daisy Troop 8174 loves to meet people and make them happy .

cookie sales my goal is to sell $ 1,000 ,” Dile said .

Dile has $ 280 in cookie sales so far . She uses the website she created and calls family and friends for orders . Dile also goes door to door with a parent .

“ We always make sure we wear our mask ,” Dile said . “ This year going door to door hasn ’ t been very good . Most people don ’ t answer the door , so I leave a little card on their mailbox with details about my website . I go around my neighborhood and back to the neighborhoods I am familiar with from selling nuts and candy . My grammy owned a cleaning business , and I sell to her customers too .”

At this time Dile ’ s troop has its Scout meetings on Zoom .

“ Right now our meetings are virtual ,” Dile said . “ I get to meet more people my age , and the crafts are really fun . We made a gnome and at Christmas a gingerbread house . We make a lot of really cool crafts . I ’ m just working toward my goal . Normally , we buy Tagalongs and Samoas — two very different cookies but delicious .”

Amelia Gardner ’ s Girl Scout Troop 2625 also is meeting virtually through Zoom . Her mom and dad have helped her sell cookies , and she enjoys the crafts and activities the troop members do together online .

Aurora Earliwine with Daisy Troop 8174 loves to meet people and make them happy by giving them cookies . She also likes hanging out with her friends she ’ s made and Girl Scouts .

Leah Copenhaver from Girl Scout Troop 2447 said selling cookies helps make their fun activities possible .

“ It helps us raise money for our troop so we can do fun things like go to camp ,” Copenhaver said . “ It also gives me a chance to talk to my teachers from past years and family members who I don ’ t see often .”

Editor ’ s note : Josie Sellers contributed to this story .