Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 117, No. 28	July 15, 2009

Twin Ridges Girl Scout Camp closure evokes some poignant memories from staff and past Girl Scout attendees

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

Twin Ridges Girl Scout Camp, a 40-acre parcel of pristine land, adjacent to the now-closed Otter
Creek Park, offered pleasant weekend memories for countless area Girl Scouts.

But with the closure of the camp July 12, those memories have faded into the sunset.

Photos by Larry See Jr.
One of the final acts during the camp closure ceremony was the retiring of the American flag that had flown over Camp Twin Ridges for many years. As with Girl Scout traditions, the ashes from the flag will be passed onto others in the hopes they can continue to be spread at other events. The flag’s grommets will be donated to the headquarters for their archives.

“Twin Ridges is well-known for their ticks, but it is time for us now to honor and remember the 49-year history of this camp,” said Gina Rahai, the now-retired site team leader for the Girl Scout camp.

Rahai didn’t want to name the many people who offered assistance in building and maintaining the camp, for fear she would forget someone.

“I know a lot of discussion and thought went into this before the decision was made to close the camp,” she continued. “I spent my growing up years in Illinois and my adult years in Kentucky and I know what it means to lose a campground.”

While the event was somber in tone, Rahai lightened the mood by saying the camp closure should be happy and fun.

She continued in that vein by saying Twin Ridges would always be the camp she remembered for giving her lots of injuries.

“The camp has left its mark on me in many ways,” she said, adding she was the only one to get injured while showing other campers how to start a fire.

She said, even as the camp was closing, it still left its mark on her, displaying a large black-and-blue mark on her lower leg.

Cynthia Weller, president of the Girl Scouts of KEntuckiana board of directors, agreed the decision to close the camp wasn’t made easily.

“We did a lot of deliberations on this, but when Otter Creek Park closed, this was the thing we had to do,” she said.

She hoped local Girl Scouts will take advantage of the other area camps they have.

Additional memories of times spent at Camp Twin Ridges were shared by Juliet Scout Janelle Rahai.

“I started out here when I was a Brownie and I remember getting stung by a bee,” she said.

“I like the outdoors and the opportunities we had to pitch a tent and learn new skills.”

Janelle eventually became a member of the camp’s site team and assisted in pitching tents and marking
trails.

“I marked a trail once, but I marked it wrong and I had to go back and do it all over again,” she said.
“That was a pretty difficult trail to follow.”

“I enjoyed coming to Camp Twin Ridges,” she continued. “I always love the fun and skills we learned. I wish it was not closing, but we have to let go of things. I can say this will always be in my memories.”

Meade County Constable Henry Bailey and one of his grandchildren listen to the closure ceremony at Camp Twin Ridges.

Camp Ranger Pam Burks, who is now solely responsible for a Girl Scout camp in Indiana, also shared some memories.

“I have been saying my goodbyes to Camp Twin Ridges for awhile,” she said. “I have been saying my farewells to this camp as we go along. I guess you have to take a little bitter with the sweet.”

One of her last acts as ranger was getting married at the camp about two weeks ago, she said.

As a part of the closing ceremony, ashes from several different locations were placed into the fire by Burks and Cathy Mathis, a Louisville troop leader.

“We took the ashes after the fires had died down and carried them forward to different events,” Mathis explained.

Ashes deposited into the fire dated as far back as 1925, she said, with some of them coming from national events, an international conference in 1926 and all four World Centers.

“As you can tell, these were many major events,” Mathis said. Ashes were also deposited from the dedication of the new headquarters, while the most recent ashes came from a troop event this past May in Canada.

Officials also recognized Meade County Constable Henry Bailey for providing a watchful eye on the facility, both when it was filled with campers and after when the location closed and was no longer in use.
Bailey thought he had been around the camp for the past 41 years.

Girls Scouts of Kentuckiana facilities manager Jed Johnson said the campgrounds – which has everything removed except the buildings and the tent platforms – will be returned to the City of Louisville.

“This was part of the former Otter Creek Park,” Johnson explained. “And whatever happens to it will determine as to what happens there.”

Lease proposals have been solicited for the park. They are expected to be open later this month and undergo a review by park and city officials before a final decision is made.

Louisville Metro Parks spokesperson Jason Cissell said “the Twin Ridges camp is part of Otter Creek Park, and we have notified those who may be offering proposals for operation of the park that this property is available for lease as part of our efforts to secure a private operator for the park.”

He continued by saying parks officials had hoped that the camp would continue to operate, like Camp
Piomingo “but we understand their decision to consolidate and focus on their other camps in the Louisville Metro area.

“This park has a long history of use,” Johnson said. “But it is important that we continue on.”

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