Early fall weather, high attendance combine to make Troop Roundup memorable

Tents and canopies as far as the eye can see, meadows and fields drenched in early autumn sunshine and covered with people, eating, drinking, laughing and talking - the atmosphere resembled that of a country fair, only here it was colored green.

"We wanted to come to Troop Round Up because we've never been before and we knew it'd be a good bonding experience for the girls," said Katherine Van Uum, Troop Leader of Troop 1766 in Maplewood.

More than 2,500 people signed up to attend Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s Troop Roundup at Camp Tuckaho in Lincoln County. Troop Roundup allows Girl Scouts to celebrate being a member of an active troop with a fun-filled day of activities.

Attendees learned more about Girl Scout camp and resources available to troops. At Tuckaho, participants had opportunities to sail through the trees on zip lines or take to the lake in canoes. 

Van Uum’s troop stopped at the popular Geocaching station, “"Girl Scouts empowers girls to find their way in the world, and geocaching is a good metaphor for that. When they find Geocaches, they'll learn they can find their way in the world as well and that they'll go farther if they work together."

More than 100 activity booths were on-site from noon to 6 pm for Girl Scouts to learn from and enjoy, including the Society of Women Engineers; Bricks 4 Kids; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities; Game Time Mobile Entertainment; the Humane Society of Missouri; the United States Tennis Association; and the Magic House.