No. 21 Vol. 4
www.mypaperonline.com • 973-809-4784 April 2025
Denville Girl Scouts’ Videos Go Viral to Help Sell Cookies
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By Evan Wechman ily Testa, a fourth-grade girl scout from Denville, has found a unique way to spend time with her father and give back to the community. Girl Scout Cookie season is well underway, and many scouts are trying their hardest to sell as many delicious cookies as possible. However, for Testa, she has taken it a few steps further. To sell 500 boxes of cookies, and win tickets to the Broadway show Aladdin, she and her father have been shooting music videos of Lily singing parodies of famous songs and artists. She has sold 391 boxes and looks forward to a big finish this month to help the Girl Scouts. However, she also plans on having a great evening with her father watching Aladdin on Broadway if the magic number of 500 is reached. “I absolutely do (think will hit the goal). I think it would be a really fun experience for me and my dad,” she said. Testa loves singing and producing videos with her father. Though they are not videographers, they have learned much about shooting and editing songs. Initially, they started editing the videos on their phones. But for Lily, the joy is in the process of working with her father. “The thing I like most about it is I get to spend time with my dad. It
Lily Testa. Photo courtesy of Mr. Andrew Testa.
takes the whole day to edit. It’s really fun,” Testa said. According to her father, Andrew Testa, the experience has been nothing short of rewarding. “It has become such a fun, bonding experience for us. We are super creative. We have a lot of fun with it and it’s something that we just get to do together. It’s something all year, we are coming up with song ideas, and if we hear a song on the radio, it’s like, we ask would that make a good song.” Last year Testa and her father created a video of the young scout singing her own lyrics to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” However, they substituted the words of the title for “Cookies, Cookies.” Their efforts sold about 100 boxes that year. The first year they did
a parody of Taylor Swift ’s song “Anti-Hero” because the song was being played in the house all the time. However, things have gone viral this season as Testa and her father have created a video from the tune of Rick Astley’s famous song “Never Gonna Give You Up,” but instead titled it “Never Gonna Give Them (Cookies) Up”. The video has taken off beyond their expectations. It was shared initially on social media platforms such as Facebook among friends and family. But then, due to its catchy tune and clever lyrics, people in Denville and its surrounding towns started sending the video to each other. Now, when the 9-year-old Testa walks with her dad throughout the area, strangers immediately recognize her.
The idea for the parody of the Rick Astley song started oddly enough during a holiday car ride. According to the younger Testa, “This year we were coming back from my grandma’s on Christmas Eve, and the song was playing on the radio and it was like that’s the one. That’s continued on page 4
PIANO
WAREHOUSE LIQUIDATION
SALE EVERY PIANO MUST BE SOLD No Legitimate Offer Refused
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