Prairie Winds Jamboree - News Releases

For many of the Girl Scouts who attended the Prairie Winds Jamboree, it was their first look at Kansas, their first trip across the prairie and their first seat at a real western rodeo.

Normally the Flint Hills Girl Scout Council, with headquarters in Emporia, has about 100 scouts in four communities who gather each summer for a camping experience. This year organizers decided to broaden the event.

"We sent out notices to over 300 councils in the United States, and it just grew from there," said Mary Avery, chairman of the jamboree steering committee and coordinator of the event.

Two years ago, Avery was a leader of a group of Kansas Girl Scouts who traveled to England for an international jamboree, so this summer the Kansas scouts returned the favor to their English hosts.

The six English scouts, known in their country as Girl Guides, were joined by an exchange student from Japan and American scouts from states as far away as Alaska and Massachusetts.

"My favorites are the England girls," said Ashley Jacqez, 10, of Garland, Texas. "They told me where they live, and how they do stuff there."

"It's been a wonderful event. There have been a lot of varied activities, and the town of Marion has been spectacular," said Janet Gary, an assistant leader with Ashley's troop. "We love it. We have eight fourth- and fifth-graders with us."

Besides the standard camp stuff - archery, canoeing, swimming and games - the girls took tours of Council Grove and the Santa Fe Trail, the Z-Bar Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, and the Eisenhower Museum and the Russell Stover candy plant in Abilene. On Thursday, some scouts were treated to a ride in a covered wagon across the Plains. Others attended the Marion County Rodeo Friday evening.

"It really is wonderful," said Janet Templeman, a troop leader with the East Grinstead Girl Guides of West Sussex County, England. "We've had such a great time. We've been shocked with the rain; everyone told us it would be hot and dry."

For 18 of the scouts from Tampa, Fla, there was an additional treat: A visit to Tampa, Kan., where Sunday they received keys to the city, T-shirts and a fried chicken dinner.

The special preparations came about after the girls wrote a letter to Tampa Mayor James Clemmer, saying they wanted to visit their city's Kansas namesake.

"Oh, Lordy. They just wanted to visit us and see our town," Clemmer said. "I told them not to blink."

Actually the girls' visit gave the town the excuse to do something Clemmer has wanted to do for some time - create a town T-shirt. The shirts, dark blue with a drawing of a covered wagon and oxen, say: "Travel the Santa Fe Trail to the other Tampa."

Tampa has a population of about 145; Tampa, Fla., has a population in excess of 294,000.

"There's one thing they can do in Tampa, Florida, among other things they can't do in Tampa, Kansas," Clemmer said. "That's get lost."

A group of girls from England found themselves the center of a media frenzy this past weekend at the Prairie Winds Jamboree.

"We've been trying all morning to get in to take showers but we keep getting asked to do interviews," said Deborah Matthews, leader of the group. "They'll never believe this back home."

The girls, known as Guides, came to the Jamboree from East Grinstead in West Sussex, on the southern coast of England.

Leaders attending were Deborah Matthews, Jo Lee, Sandra Jones, and Janet Templeman. Guides were Francesca Templeman, Lisa Edwards, Louise Reynolds, Rebecca Hobbs, Julia Strong, Amy Matthews, and Carole Moore.

Friendship
Their road to Marion County started two years ago when they hosted an international camp. Mary Avery of Peabody attended with a group of area Girl Scouts.

The girls stayed in contact and invited their British friends to visit. The jamboree (originally planned for 300 or so) seemed the perfect time.

"We've been raising funds for 18 months," Matthews said. The group hosted bake sales, rummage sales, and other activities. One big hit was a '70s disco, which brought out the adults. Each girl raised funds on her own as well.

This was the first time abroad for the group. A bumpy plane ride made the trip unpleasant for some but all arrived safely.

The group left July 27. To save on airline ticket prices they flew into Oklahoma City where they met their Kansas host families.

The group took advantage of tours the first day of the jamboree, visiting the Z-Bar Ranch and taking a wagon train ride. They spent more time the other days meeting girls from the various states.

Weather
Expecting steady heat, the group was surprised by the weather. Cool mornings, hot afternoons, and rainy nights are not common in Britain.

"There it rains all morning, or all day, or all week," Lee said. "We don't see the variations in weather you have."

One night rumors swept the camp of possible tornadoes. Tornadoes are practically unknown in England but sensibly the group prepared emergency bags with clothes, pictures, and other items in case they had to evacuate. However, the night passed without problem.

The sheer size of "everything," fascinated the girls. "The roads are long and run straight for miles," said Hobbs. "Even the views are big. You can see everything."

Organizers provided hot tea, a traditional drink for Britons even in warm weather. Heating iced tea in a microwave wasn't the same, though it did lead to an educational moment.

"Nuke? Have you heard that phrase?" asked Jones. The group broke down with laughter after the slang term for heating food or drink in a microwave was explained to them. "We're learning all sorts of new phrases here," Hobbs said. "Sometimes we're not sure what anybody's saying."

"Why do they call them bleachers?" Matthews asked. "They told us to go sit in the bleachers for the opening ceremonies, and we just looked at each other."

The group spent several more days in Marion County with their host families. They toured other parts of Kansas and did some high-powered shopping. Prices for clothes are less than in England.

Templeman found it to be a small world. While visiting with a leader from Massachusetts, she discovered the woman was a good friend of a penpal of Templeman's.

All said they would love to return. They've enjoyed their host families and the sights. They're glad that guides get the respect they deserve, too.

"In England we're poor relations to the Boy Scouts," Matthews said. "It's hard to get something in the papers there, so these interviews are amazing."

Girl Scouts from 28 states and Great Britain have completed a historic national jamboree at Marion County Lake.

Prairie Winds Jamboree left happy faces and exhausted but satisfied volunteers.

"I've been around a lot of big events, and I've never seen anything better organized," said Rita Carlson of Tampa, Fla. "This jamboree was one of the most phenomenal things I've seen in my life."

The scouts arrived with positive attitudes and a sense of adventure.

"I'm already ready to go next year," said Rita Loomis of Council Grove, even though the event had barely started.

Most of the girls came for reasons similar to Michelle Daignault of Beverly, Mass. "It's an experience, and chance to meet new people," she said.

Millie Carey of Tampa, Fla., has been involved with Girl Scouts for 50 years. "This has been absolutely wonderful," she said. "It's well organized. This is a wonderful achievement for a council this size."

States represented were Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

This broke down into 170 or so groups including 332 Cadette Girl Scouts, 282 Junior Scouts, 121 Senior Scouts, 331 adult leaders, and 120 council volunteers.

Every girl and adult attending Prairie Winds Jamboree received a short history of the Cottonwood River Valley of the Flint Hills.

A two-page handout informed campers about the typical hot summers and the threat of tornadoes. They also learned about cattle and hogs, wild animals, farm crops, insects, birds, lizards, turtles, snakes, and plants common to this area.

The information was compiled by Shreves Avery of Peabody.

Camping Activities
A myriad of activities kept campers busy throughout the jamboree. Each activity site had an instructor and an EMS person. Water events required the presence of a life guard.

More than 130 local volunteers helped run the event. Two National Guard units also provided support.

"We want to do everything but there's too much to do," said Janet Templeman, a leader with the Girl Guide unit from Britain.

"The jamboree is well run. Everyone is so friendly, and there is a nice variety of things to do," said Rella Morgan, a troop leader from Scranton.

Activities
Don Mock of Emporia supervised archery lessons. He said quite a few men volunteers are members of the Girl Scouts organization.

The Mic-O-Say Dancers, a group of Boy Scouts who perform authentic American Indian dance, performed at the opening ceremonies. Sean Slattery of Marion has been a member of the dancers for five years.

Many girls got their first chance at canoeing. The instructor at one of the two canoeing sites was Karen Heady of Oskaloosa. "When I heard about the jamboree I thought it was a neat idea, so I volunteered to be a staff member," she said.

Some girls were introduced to a sport called orienteering. Participants used a compass and topographical map to navigate a course by finding marked points along the way. Sara Sundberg of Emporia was the instructor.

The lake hall was a beehive of activity throughout the jamboree as it was filled with girls and adults doing numerous arts and crafts.

Swimming and tubing also were popular events, although the weather was a little too cool for swimming.

Tours
Girls and adults alike signed up for tours to area places of interest. These included a trip to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and Z-Bar/Spring Hill Ranch near Strong City and to Council Grove; a short wagon train ride across the Flint Hills at the Homestead Ranch near Matfield Green; a trip to Marion County Fair and rodeo at Hillsboro; a visit to the Eisenhower Center and other attractions at Abilene; and swimming and shopping at Marion or Peabody.

Colorful characters
Faye Carey, known as "Hoover" by many Kansas Girl Scouts, served as an instructor in archery. She is a long-haul truck driver who lists Tampa, Fla. as her home address, and the CB handle of "Girl Scout."

When Carey found out about the Jamboree, she arranged with her trucking company to be in Kansas during the five-day event. Carey, who logs about 10,000 miles a month in her truck, had a delivery in Ottawa on Wednesday, and then drove to the lake for a few days vacation with the girl scouts.

"This is my thing," she said. "I go to as many of these things as I can."

At the jamboree, Carey spent most of her time running the archery event. But she also described herself as a "floater," helping "anywhere I can except for the kitchen."

Carey, who grew up in Michigan, has been involved with Girl Scouts all over the country. She even led a troop for three years when she was stationed in Germany as transportation specialist for the Army.

Carey said she likes the idea of being a positive influence on the girls.

"If I can keep just one girl off drugs, or keep her from getting pregnant, it's worth it," she said.

Carey said her favorite times of any scouting activities are the stories told around campfires. She considers herself a well-rounded campfire patron.

"There are two kinds of people that sit around the campfire: those who like to talk, and those who like to listen," she said. "I think I'm a little of both."

Weather
Girls from Indianapolis, Ind. and Salem, Mass. said they didn't expect the wind. They said they enjoyed spending time in wide-open Kansas.

"I thought it would be hotter, so when I heard 90, I thought `good,'" said Jenn Carlson, of Beverly, Mass.

County Park and Lake Superintendent Dale Snelling didn't get much sleep as he spent his evenings patrolling the area. However, there were no serious problems that he saw.

"The biggest thing is that there's just one phone," he said. The public phone outside his office had a line at nearly any time of day.

The other thing was the popularity of the shower house. The girls tended to wait for the shower house to be available even though a military unit had provided shower facilities. "It's a little more private in there," Snelling said.

Tampa
After closing ceremonies the groups packed up to head for home. The Tampa (Fla.) Girl Scouts, however, went to lunch at Butch's Diner in Tampa (KS.).

Chris Mata, representing the Friendship Neighborhood of the Suncoast Girl Scout Council, presented Mayor Jim Clemmer with a number of items, including a letter from Tampa Mayor Dick Greco and a key to the city.

Clemmer gave all those present T-shirts and items from Tampa State Bank. "We had one big key but we had to cut it down," Clemmer said, presenting each girl with a small plaque on which a skeleton key was mounted.

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