More than 25,000 community residents gathered downtown to celebrate the Believe in Girls Day, a day hosted by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri in honor of 100 years of Girl Scouting. Mothers, daughters, fathers and sons spent the day partaking in hundreds of free activities moments after watching the Century of Promise parade. The parade featured more than 80 floats, balloons, marching bands and special units. Former NASA astronaut and Missouri native, Dr. Linda M. Godwin, was the Grand Marshall.
During the Family Festival Shaley Ulrich, a Girl Scout Junior from Fenton-High Ride, participated in USTA SmashZone Tennis. The SmashZone area, a crowd favorite, included two tennis courts for young athletes and a 53’ Nintendo trailer. The trailer featured Mario Tennis Open, a fun and portable tennis game that can be played in 3D. Shaley enjoyed the parade, the FemFest and most importantly, being able to see her Girl Scout sisters.
“My favorite parade float was the steamboat,” Shaley said. “Girl Scouting is an adventure [and] I’ve gotten to high-five so many of my Girl Scout sisters today as we celebrate our 100th birthday!”
Shaley signed the giant tennis ball provided by USTA before moving on to other activities that were offered throughout the day. Standout booths included the Energy Tent hosted by Ameren, the Foam Dance Pit hosted by Amberg Events and the Rock Climbing Wall hosted by Upper Limits.
There was a Flash Mob performance during the Family Festival at the main stage where thousands of Girl Scouts participated and a Time Capsule Ceremony that took place in front of Soldiers’ Memorial Military Museum. Immediately following the Family Fastival celebrity performers took the stage. Performances by Zendaya, Ryan Beatty and Katherine Hughes rocked the main stage and closed out the BIG Day with a big bang.