The Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada held a yard sale Sept. 28 at their new camp facilities, the former Cowboy’s Dream in Alamo.
Rather than selling items for purchase, a donation was requested per item for the Girl Scouts Council in Las Vegas.
On hand for the event were Kimberly Trueba, Chief Executive Officer, and Communications Director Linda Bridges, along with other members of the Las Vegas council.
Many of the items for sale were from the Cowboy’s Dream, which was a bed and breakfast. Things such as knick-knacks, table decorations, lamps, vases, select pieces of furniture and small living room furniture were available.
Bridges gave a few tours of the facility, explaining how the Girl Scouts envision using the property donated to them last year by the Charles and Phyllis Frias Trust of Las Vegas.
One mother and daughter who came up from Las Vegas said the daughter, age eight, “was so excited to come to this she was counting down the days.”
Bridges said Camp Foxtail, the former Girl Scout camp on Mt. Charleston which was leased from the U.S. Forest Service, was no longer useful to them and was closed a few years ago.
“When we learned that the Frias Trust was interested in donating the facilities in Alamo, the Girl Scouts became seriously interested and began negotiations to acquire the property, which initially included Windmill Ridge.”
But the Girl Scouts decided they didn’t need the restaurant and cabins, and allowed it to once again become a private business.
At present, as the Girl Scouts are still deciding how to develop the property, Bridges said, “We are currently renting it out for corporate retreats, family reunions and things like that. We have a set donation fee and have several bookings through 2020. It’s starting to become quite popular.”
She said the existing building will remain much the same, retaining its western theme. “We want our Girl Scout campers to know the history and remarkable story of Charles and Phyllis and how we came to acquire the property. Mrs. Frias had a favorite motto for Cowboy’s Dream, ‘Enter as strangers, leave as friends.’”
The bedrooms will be used by some of the girls and staff who come for camp sessions. They are also looking to install a number of large Conestoga-style covered wagons and cabins on adjacent land that will be developed, able to sleep four to six people and equipped with air conditioning and heating.
Bridges said the dining area and kitchen in the building will be expanded and able to prepare meals for about 300.
Looking a bit further ahead, she said, “We are hoping for a soft opening in the summer of 2020, maybe for three days, for campers to come and get a feel, and as it grows there are so many possibilities of outdoor as well as indoor activities for them we can envision.”
Girl Scouts range in age from 7 to 17 and there are also programs for younger ages.
Trueba said, “This will be such a perfect place for the Girl Scouts to thrive. We have felt an enormous amount of local support for our coming here even before we accepted the donation from the Frias Trust. We hope from time to time to even have open house sessions for the community. We are here as good stewards.”
On Oct. 12, they will be holding a class with the UNLV School of Architecture and several architecture firms to discuss ideas provided by Girl Scouts and parents.
Lincoln County does not have Girl Scout clubs as yet and Bridges said, “We are looking for local volunteers. We want to grow the program here. We want to see them in every school in the county. I look around this property and I see what the future is. We absolutely want to be involved in the Lincoln County communities.”
She said Girl Scouts are very focused on education including science, technology, engineering and math, but they also strive to introduce girls to the outdoors and to provide them with real-life skills they can use in the world.
