SILVER CREEK – Girl Scouts of Western New York Chautauqua Girl Scout Troop 20069 recently won the nationwide 2016 Bling Your Booth contest. Girl Scouts of the USA chose 25 winning troops out of hundreds of entries in a contest featuring Girl Scout cookie booths decorated creatively to sell cookies.

The Girl Scouts decided on a bakery theme, coming up with the idea to have an oven and wearing aprons and chef hats. One scout’s father, Ron Bowers, helped the girls to construct the oven. The girls filled it with cookies and when a customer ordered a box, they would open the oven and take the cookies out. People who stopped by the booth praised their creativity and loved the setup.

Troop leader Liz VanCheri said, “They made signs, told their classmates, and through social media we got the whole town behind us!”

“I liked selling cookies because I got to meet new people and collect cookies for soldiers,” said Junior Girl Scout Karli Deet in reference to Project Share. Customers could purchase boxes of Girl Scout cookies, then donate them to the troops. The Girl Scouts of Western New York distribute the donations to local military personnel serving in Western New York and overseas.

“I like selling cookies because we get to go to fun places with the money we make,” said Kaelee Weiskerger, Junior Girl Scout.

The Girl Scouts also sold an average of 300 boxes per girl in the troop, which earned them a free trip to Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park.

The girls won a $250 prize for their efforts and are featured on the Girl Scouts of the USA blog.

They plan to use their cookie booth earnings and winnings to go on a variety of field trips and also use it toward community service projects.

Troop 20069 meets in Silver Creek.

To join the Girl Scouts of Western New York or learn more about what Girl Scouts do, visit gswny.org.