A few years ago, a heavy snowstorm destroyed the dining hall at our beloved Camp Juniper Knoll in East Troy, Wisconsin. But on Saturday, July 23 we celebrated the grand opening of the new dining hall with nearly 200 Girl Scout friends, families and supporters.

The new dining hall, which was built by VJS Construction Services in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, contains state-of-the-art equipment and storage, a new trading post, refillable water bottle station, heavy-duty windows and more.

Activities at the grand opening celebration included camp classics such as hay wagon rides, canoeing, archery, hiking and a community art project installation.

Chefs Scott Allred and David Koelling worked with some of our Girl Scout campers to create delicious Girl Scout Cookie-inspired desserts, such as Savannah Smiles and vanilla panna cotta, Tagalong ice cream sundaes, Thin Mint brownies and Samoa cupcakes.

“The reason we invested in this property is to learn about the great outdoors, for you to form new friendships, and so you can have exceptional experiences,” said Nancy Wright, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Girls, this is a really cool moment in history. You are creating amazing memories that will last a lifetime.”

For more information about Camp Juniper Knoll and our various summer camp programs, click here. To donate to the dining hall kitchen registry, click here.