Girl Scouts hold Junior Badge Fair

Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, February 9, 2006

More than 300 Girls Scouts met at Niagara-Wheatfield High School last Saturday looking to earn their badges as the Niagara County Girl Scouts held its annual Junior Badge Fair, a day of workshops designed to help Scouts earn credit toward a merit badge. Mindy Ameno, media specialist with the Girl Scouts of Niagara County, said that each Scout earns a badge for each workshop that she attends. Niagara-Wheatfield hosted morning and afternoon sessions for the girls in the fourth- to sixth-grade age range. The workshops included such subjects as art, dance, science and theater. Ameno said the fair has been an annual event for more than 25 years. “It’s an accomplishment,” she said of earning a badge. “You have to complete so many steps in order to get a badge. … It’s something the girls wear on their sash or their vest on their uniform. It’s very significant and makes them proud to have earned a badge. It’s kind of a status almost.” (photo by Larry Austin)