A little snow couldn’t deter members of the Saugerties Girl Scouts’ nine troops from gathering for holiday purposes this past Saturday. They serenaded the residents of the Ivy Lodge, the Saugerties senior housing establishment on Main Street. They also raised the spirits of Main Street shoppers.
Each year scouts from the town and village’s nine troops meet at the Saugerties Methodist Church to make crafts, which they distribute to residents of the Ivy Lodge. They walk to the village’s Christmas tree at Reis Park and sing carols for shoppers.
For the last two months, the scouts have been relearning, and for some of the younger girls learning, carols. “We spend most of the meetings teaching the girls all the carols,” says mom and leader Rose Weissman.
They gather at the Methodist church in early December to make the crafts they will hand out.
“Last year, many of the residents at the Ivy joined in and sang with the girls, as did the residents of the senior housing,” Weissman said. “And many of them cried, saying that it’s been so long since they heard those songs.”
Eight-year old Robin Weissman, a member of troop 60185, said it’s “one of our favorite days of the year to come and visit these residents.” Her favorite carol is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer “because it’s the longest.”
Outside the church this past Saturday morning, with the snow falling from the sky and gathering at their feet, the youngsters did what all youngsters do during the first snowfall. They stuck out their tongues trying to capture flakes. Then they broke out in a rousing version of Jingle Bells.
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