For those who crave Girl Scout Cookies, the wait is over. Cookie sales began on Jan. 24 and will run through mid-March.

Locally, people can find Girl Scouts selling cookies on weekends at area businesses. Booth locations include Tractor Supply, 985 Octorara Trail, Parkesburg; Walmart Supercenter, 100 Commons Drive, Parkesburg; RDV Convenience Store, 214 W. First Ave., Parkesburg; Hershey's Farm Market, 959 Octorara Trail, Parkesburg; Rocco & Anna's Ristorante, 302 Main St., Parkesburg; Dickens Automotive, 1086 Gap Newport Pike, Cochranville; and Parkesburg Grocery Outlet, 110 W. First Ave., Parkesburg.

During opening weekend, Morrigan McElwee, a member of Cadette Girl Scout Troop 415, which meets at Parkesburg Church of the Ascension, was stationed at the Parkesburg Grocery Outlet. Morrigan, who attends Avon Grove Charter School, was accompanied by her mother, Sara McElwee, who is also the troop leader.

Sara noted that this is the last year that Scouts will sell Toast-Yay! cookies. The cookies, which were introduced in 2021, are shaped like French toast and dipped in icing and bear the Girl Scout trefoil symbol. "They are bringing out a new national cookie for next year," Sara noted.

Other cookie varieties include Adventurefuls, which are brownie-like cookies with a caramel-flavored cream; Trefoils, which are shortbread cookies; Lemonades, which are shortbread cookies with a lemon-flavored icing; and Caramel deLites, which are crispy cookies coated with caramel and coconut and drizzled with chocolate stripes. Peanut butter varieties are Peanut Butter Patties dipped in chocolate and the Peanut Butter Sandwich, which is an oatmeal cookie with a peanut butter filling. Sara noted that the cookies can be frozen and eaten later.

Morrigan reported that sales were brisk. "Thin Mints are the most popular," said Morrigan, who noted that cookie is her favorite as well.

Those who visit the local booths also have an opportunity to donate cookies to Hometown Heroes, a program adopted in 2019 by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP). "These are cookies that are donated locally to police, fire (companies), the food cupboard and Parkesburg POINT," said Sara, noting that all troops in the Octorara Area Service Unit participate in the effort and deliver the cookies in person.

The goal of the cookie sales, according to GSEP, is to teach Girl Scouts five essential skills - goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. "They learn how to talk to people, how to deal with people who say no and learning to adapt to the situation," said Sara.

The Scouts are also able to keep a portion of the money for troop activities. "We are going camping and rock climbing," Sara added. "Even though they are 13 years old, they want to go to Dutch Wonderland."

According to http://www.girlscouts.org, Girls Scouts of the USA sells about 200 million boxes of cookies in a normal year. The organization calls the Girl Scout cookie program "the largest entrepreneurial program in the world."

For more information about the cookies and to search for other cookie booth locations, visit http://www.gsep.org.