By Marisa Dawson

The Bennington Girl Scouts took a nostalgic trip through a time machine back to the 1990s Sunday afternoon, filling the library with colorful activities, crafts and plenty of opportunities for local girls and families to learn more about scouting.

The 90s-themed event was designed not only as a fun afternoon for current Girl Scouts, but also as an opportunity for girls who may be interested in joining to meet local troops, learn what Girl Scouts has to offer and get registered.

Scout Leader Rana Forrest said the group tries to host a fun recruitment event each year to introduce families to the troops available in Bennington.

“This year we are trying to start six new troops,” Forrest said, one for each elementary school, including Legacy.

Currently, two Bennington troops are accepting new members, with the goal of getting girls into those existing troops or into the new troops as they are formed.

The 1990s theme was intentional, offering a way to draw in both kids and their parents.

“GSUSA constantly says, you have to pull the attention, bright colors, fun activities,” Forrest said. “And we’re like, we want the fun for the parents too. We all love the 90s!”

The event featured a variety of 90s-inspired decorations and activities, including large handmade displays like a Game Boy photo prop and a time machine at the door. Activities included a Lisa Frank creative station, Guess Who game, nostalgic video games, Cartoons & cereal, and more. Forrest credited fellow organizers Ashley Rongish and Phylicia Robertson for helping bring the creative vision to life.

“She’s just very creative,” Forrest said of Rongish. “And she’s like, I just think it would be really fun. So then we just started looking stuff up.”

Rongish created many of the crafts and decorations seen throughout the event, while Forrest described her own role as more logistical and Robertson’s as highly organized.

The playful theme helped introduce families to a larger message the local Girl Scouts hope to communicate: There is room for girls with a wide range of interests.

“Girl Scouts is all about giving opportunities to girls,” Forrest said. “The more opportunities out there for girls, the more they’re gonna flourish.”

Girl Scouts offers girls the opportunity to shape their own experience, whether they are interested in camping, earning awards, community service, leadership or other activities.

“If you are a camper and you want to do all kinds of camping throughout your career in Girl Scouts, then by all means go at it,” Forrest said. “If you’re all about earning awards, we have awards to earn. If you’re about community service, love it. We really are into the community a lot.”

Forrest said programming also touches on topics including mental health, family health, self-image, leadership and entrepreneurship.

“But most of all, what do you want to do?” she said. “And we will support you going there.”

Forrest also emphasized that Girl Scouts is active in Bennington, something she said residents sometimes overlook.

“A lot of people forget that Girl Scouts are in Bennington,” she said. “We are here and we are very active.”

The organization is also focused on building connections among local troops. One example is the annual Bennington Girl Scout campout near Central City, where scouts from throughout the community can participate in activities including horseback riding, canoeing, high ropes courses and archery.

Forrest said creating opportunities for troops to interact helps preserve the community’s small-town feel.

“I think that connectedness in Bennington is so, so important,” she said. “We are a small town feel and we want to help keep that small town feel.”

While the 90s theme was unique to Sunday’s event, Forrest hopes the idea of holding an annual recruitment event in Bennington will continue.

The Girl Scout year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, making the fall an ideal time for families to explore their options and join a troop. However, Forrest stressed that girls can join Girl Scouts at any point during the year.

“If somebody isn’t here today and they’re like, oh, I really wanted to join Girl Scouts,” Forrest said, there will be additional opportunities in the area, including an upcoming back-to-school event at the Girl Scouts DreamLab at 8601 West Dodge Rd, as well as similar events planned in Blair and Elkhorn. The DreamLab Back to School Rally will take place on Saturday, August 22 from 10am-12pm. This event is free to families and includes registration, fun games and activities, eye screenings, and a foam party.

Families who cannot attend one of the events can also contact the Girl Scouts office for help finding a local troop.

For Bennington Girl Scouts, Sunday’s event was about more than nostalgia. It was an invitation for local girls to discover what scouting can offer, and to find their own path within it.