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Almost 50 Benton County Girl Scouts, gathered from five troops across the county, enjoyed a fun-filled Saturday afternoon. They visited a internationally-visited tourist attraction that can be found right here in Camden, at Birdsong Resort, Marina and Lakeside RV & Tent Campground. Birdsong is the site of America's only freshwater pearl farm. The pearl farm offers a guided tour, "A Pearl of A Tour," that shares the knowledge of how freshwater pearls are cultured right here in Tennessee. Bob Keast, owner and tour guide, shared a day with the girls explaining many details of how pearls grow, what they grow in, what they are implanted with, how they are implanted, how shapes are pre-determined, where they grow, how long it takes and when they are harvested. 
Keast opened a Washboard shell that had been implanted with a mother-of-pearl nuclei. The group witnessed how the pearls are harvested as they saw a pearl emerge from its host - the mussel. They learned that there are many types of mussels, but the two most commonly found in this area are the Washboard and the Pig Toe; and that the mussel is a "cousin" to the salt water oyster. The total process of culturing Tennessee's official state gem takes approximately 18 months to develop a marketable pearl for resale.
(Photo: SHUCKING A MUSSEL - Owner and tour guide, Bob Keast shucks a mussel and pulls out a pearl before the eyes of over 50 girl scouts. Tennessee's official state gems are cultured right here in Benton County at America's only freshwater pearl farm - located at Birdsong Resort, Marina and Lakeside RV & Tent Campground.) After the two-hour educational tour, the girls enjoyed the day cooling off - swimming at Birdsong's public pool. Hamburgers were grilled at the pavilion adjacent to the pool area for the girls to have a picnic-style lunch. The Scouts would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Keast for all of his efforts in planning a day of fun. |