By Audrey Brainard

I wish to thank the members of the Chesapeake Bay Garden Club who helped to make the Water Festival 2004 a success. The festival is a day for the 6th graders to be in the field doing hands-on science experiments with trained volunteers. Six stations are set up that children visit during their stay at the Girl Scout Camp. Most of the stations break activities into two groups each teaching the same concepts relating to water. Since the school group size ranged from 92-110 students the 6 groups were small when broken into two and when kept together still were smaller than most public school classes.

A project like this requires many types of talent; the instructors who must understand what they are teaching as well as be able to teach to sixth graders (which can be a challenge), the assistant instructors or helpers must also understand the concepts being taught and be ready to assist the instructor at all times, the escorts who meet the children as they disembark the buses and remain with them until they reenter the buses before departure (including lunches and bathroom breaks), another very important group of volunteers are the food staff and of course there are the coordinators who oversee the entire program from signs to teaching staff, from entering the camp to the final clean up. All in all there were 84 volunteers who worked the two days, many of whom worked both days. A hearty thanks to all who gave so much of themselves and of their time to make the Water Festival a success.

The Chesapeake Bay Garden Club was well represented with; Barbara Schott and husband Bob, Barbara Yinger, Lorraine Vanwickler, Sandy Saxer, Gwen Balderston, Wanda Boley, Wonda Allain, Louise McIntire, Diana Hemovich, Jan Boyd, Bobby Brogden, Liz Misec, Rebecca Elston, Ellie Knight, and Jean Ryan who worked one day. Then there were the hardy soles; Barbara Groff and husband Jim, Rita Johnson, Teri Eilers, Elizabeth Cali, Patsy Sylvia, and Audrey Brainard and husband Ralph for two full days at the Water Festival.

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At the present it looks as if we have funding to repeat the Water Festival in 2005, probably October 4 & 6.

It should be noted that it takes nearly $2400 to run the entire two days at the Girl Scout Camp. This year many items of food were donated.