Jackson Free Press

When Sekila Argrett lived in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., she and other area Girl Scouts were ushers at former President George H.W. Bush's inaugural ball in 1989, her senior year of high school. The event showed Argrett what Girl Scouts could really do.

In 2008, Sekila became an assistant troop leader after she, her husband, Gus Argrett, and their two daughters, Alicia and Ellie, moved from Ridgeland to Madison.

Gus says he has Argrett and their daughters to thank for getting him involved with Girl Scouts. Alicia is a cadet, and Ellie is a brownie.

Girl Scouts have been selling cookies for almost 50 years to raise money for the organization and to teach the girls goal-setting and people skills. Troops sell them every year in early spring, and lucky for us, it's cookie season. Most of the time this just means that you'll buy boxes of Thin Mints or Tagalongs, but this year, the Girl Scouts Tall Pines Service Unit is adding another element.

The service unit, which covers northeast Jackson and Madison County, will host Desserts First! on Feb. 28. It is an event that allows the public to come and see what the Girl Scouts do and also experience one of the cookies in a different way.

For the event, chefs from local restaurants, including Jessica Furches from The Islander Seafood & Oyster House, Jon Lansdale from Crazy Cat Bakers, Ashley and Eric Batch from The Strawberry Cafe, and Paris McDougal from Lulu's Sweet Shop, will prepare desserts based on the Samoa cookie (also called the Caramel deLite, depending on the baker who prepared that particular batch)—the one with the caramel, toasted coconut and dark chocolate stripes.

Why choose this cookie? Because 2015 is its 40th anniversary. Feb. 28 also falls in National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend.

"It just seemed like it was appropriate to celebrate the 40th anniversary by highlighting it with an event like this," says Gus, who is the event's coordinator. He hopes that it will make former Girl Scouts nostalgic for those days and bring them out for the event. He also looks forward to showing the public some of the skills Girl Scouts learn, such as archery and swimming.

"I don't think there's been too many events in the Jackson metro area like this," Argrett says. "It's also one of those feel-good activities. We're supporting Girl Scouts. We're getting a chance to see what goes into making a Girl Scout."

Last summer, he and his wife, Sekila, brought the idea to the Tall Pines service leader Linda Harrison after seeing similar events in other Girl Scout councils. The couple saw it as a way to raise money and awareness of the contributions Girl Scouts make to their communities.

For the event, celebrity judges, including Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and WYAB 103.9 radio host Kim Wade, will rank the desserts.

In addition to tasting the creations, guests can see photos of Girl Scouts in action, whether they're learning archery, helping the elderly, or camping and fishing.

The mistress of ceremonies is WAPT news anchor Megan West, and bluesman Jesse Robinson will perform.

Desserts First! is at the Jackson Yacht Club (700 Yacht Club Drive, Ridgeland, 601-856-8844) Feb. 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at tallpinesgsgms.org where you can also find additional information.