Japanese, American Girl Scouts to Celebrate 50 Years of Friendship at Brookside Gardens

Japanese and American Girl Scouts will gather Friday morning at the Friendship Bridge, located in the Gude Garden near the Japanese Tea house in , to celebrate 50 years of friendship.

In 1963, a group of Girl Scouts from Kiryu, Japan, met with an American Girl Scout troop on a U.S. base in Japan. Sally Moran, a longtime volunteer at Brookside Gardens and a former member of the Friends of Brookside Gardens board of directors, was present at that first meeting, according to Leslie McDermott, a spokesperson for Brookside Gardens.

The Friendship Bridge, also known as the Bridge to Understanding, was built in 1988. On Aug. 17, the Girl Scouts will gather there at 11 a.m. for a flag ceremony; they will recite the Girl Scout Promise and rededicate a plaque that honors the international friendship. Four Japanese Girl Scouts will attend, along with their leaders, and 10 Girl Scouts from Troop 542 in Bowie, Md., will join them.

Before the ceremony, which is open to the public, the Girl Scouts will tour the Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly Exhibit.

The Girl Scouts are also celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.