Their business is picking up.

One of the Solanco Area Girl Scouts' most recent community projects was cleaning trash from the Solanco Fairgrounds on Sept. 20, the morning after the Solanco Fair came to a close.

Scout leader Amy Rineer said the girls have been pitching in since the 1980s. "It's a way to help out the fair association, because they put so many hours into this," Rineer said. "This is just one less thing they have to worry about, and the girls enjoy coming out and supporting the community."

Rineer stated that the Scouts benefit from the experience. "I think it's a chance for them to be out and be in the community," she said. "It's a chance for them to participate in an activity that they're familiar with. They're here at the fair, they see what's happening, and they get their piece of it to contribute back to the community. It's taking care of the grounds, because they're here for other events and things throughout the year."

The Solanco Area Girl Scouts have troops for girls in kindergarten through 12th grade. The troops encompass five age groups - kindergarten and first grade, second and third grades, fourth and fifth grades, sixth through eighth grades, and high school.

"Girl Scouts doesn't require certain awards or badges to be earned to move to the next grade level," said Rineer. "It is strictly based on grade in school. We are also flexible, so if kids play sports or are involved in other activities, we work with them so they can attend events or activities with the troop."

  The Scouts have been meeting at Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church for 47 years, and four members of the current leadership have come through the program at Chestnut Level and are now serving on the leadership team. 

  "Our troops work on a variety of badges and attend activities sponsored by the Girl Scout Council as well as local events," said Rineer. "We do community service with the Wakefield Lions Club and Friends of Fishing Creek and other opportunities as they are made available. Our goal as a leadership team is to provide opportunities for the girls to explore their communities to grow in leadership, build courage and make their communities better.

For more information, contact Rineer at scoutrineer6@comcast.net.