VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) - When local Girl Scouts took to a newly-restored Camp Wildwood four years ago, there were tears and emotion-filled hugs all around.
And now - as the sounds of girly giggles bounce between the trees - it’s finally starting to feel like home again.
“It’s always meant so much to us because the girls come here and they have so much fun,” said Bobette Phillips, a long-time leader for the local Girl Scouts.
“We know this is where we belong.”
Camp Wildwood, located at 2609 Washington Ave., was alive again this month, the smell of campfire smoke filling the air, as young girls took to its hills and trails, all of them eager for the crafts, s’mores, songs and all the camaraderie they’ve come to expect from Girl Scout camp.
“It’s just the way I remember it,” said long-time troop leader Candi Grismore as she watched some young girls engaged in a lady bug-building craft. “They’ve cleaned it up, made it nice, and the girls can get out on the trails again.
“And it’s fun because they start out so shy. But by the end of the week, the friendships these girls create are just amazing.”
“So much hard work and effort has gone into this place,” said troop leader Jennifer Bement. “It’s fantastic.
“I came here as a child. My mom was a unit leader here. Grandparents now get to send their grandkids here. It’s a family tradition. But none of it would be possible without all the community support and good will that’s been shown to Camp Wildwood.”
The grounds that comprise Camp Wildwood were originally designated as the future site of Vincennes University. But VU eventually found a sweeter deal in Harrison Park, so the board of trustees sold the Washington Avenue property to the local Girl Scouts for use as a camp ground. And that’s how it remained for more than 60 years.
But in 2009, the property got stuck in a legal battle between the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois - of which the local troops were then apart - and a local group that held an agreement that prevented Camp Wildwood from ever being sold.
The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois wanted to sell the property and even placed a for sale sign at the entrance.
A handful of local church leaders got involved to try to get the camp back, and the case eventually went to court with Vincennes attorneys including Brent Stuckey and Jill Doggett with HartBell LLC helping lead the charge.
Knox Circuit Court Judge Sherry Gregg Gilmore eventually issued a ruling that left ownership of the property in local hands and, in the process, declared a section of state legislation unconstitutional. That ruling was upheld in 2013 by the state Supreme Court.
Shortly thereafter, the Camp Wildwood Foundation was organized. It’s made up of several local organizations, including First Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, the YMCA of Vincennes, First Christian Church and members of the former Vincennes Indiana Girls Inc.
Now registered as a 501(c)(3) organization, board members set to restoring Camp Wildwood as it had been neglected by then for several years as the legal battle raged.
Grass was overgrown, weeds were rampant and fallen trees scattered the area.
But not anymore.
Now, it’s again home for local Girl Scouts.
“They come here now and learn leadership skills from the ground up,” Bement said of this month’s camp. “They learn discipline. They learn how to build a fire. They learn cooking and knife skills. And they learn how to function in a group.
“It’s all about building confidence.”
The girls meet every morning at nearby Harmony Park, where there is ample room for parent drop.
They then walked the short distance to Camp Wildwood where, after hoisting the flags for the day, they spent time tending their individual camps, engaging in crafts, learning life skills, walking trails and singing - there was a lot of singing.
“It’s fun,” said Madison Will, 8, as she made her way down the large hill that makes up the center of Camp Wildwood. “We get to do art, a lot of fun things.”
“We get to make up our own names, and we get to cook,” said 8-year-old Emily Bible. “We get to play in the water and make new friends.”
Girls can enter Girl Scouts in kindergarten and, if they choose, remain active well into high school, much like 15-year-old Kaitlyn Thomas, who will soon be a freshman at North Knox High School.
Having always heard tales of Camp Wildwood, she was once sad she missed out on such excursions during her early years in Girl Scouts.
Being there now, she said, she is making cherished memories.
“Camp Wildwood is amazing,” she said, adding that her troop often met for day camp at a park in Bicknell in the years the camp was closed.
“I love how beautiful everything is,” she said, gazing around at the heavy tree canopy. “And the girls seem to love it. They love the trails - they’re always asking to go on the trails.”
“And I think I would have been pretty excited about it when I was young, too,” Thomas said with a chuckle.
Laura Harper, who is now president of the Camp Wildwood Foundation, said it’s for these moments the board worked so hard to restore the camp. It’s their desire to see improvements continue - funded, in part, by an annual pancake breakfast held in the fall - and have more members of the public use it for various events.
But it will always, first and foremost, be a home for the local Girl Scouts, she said.
“This is our home,” Harper said.
“The kids get so excited every year,” Phillips, Harper’s mother, said. “They’re always asking, ’Can we come back next year?’
“And I always say, ’Yes, we’ll be here next year, too.’”
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Source: Vincennes Sun-Commercial, https://bit.ly/2tkC2Uc
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Information from: Vincennes Sun-Commercial, https://www.vincennes.com
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