On a cold, dreary winter night this week a spell was cast in Glendale, MO.

I am among the 5,900 or so who call this bedroom community home. And several of us came together this week as volunteers for a community beautification effort called Grow Glendale Gorgeous. This grassroots effort was started by a woman named Julie. Her plan is to beautify the community with containers, gardens, and landscapes. This week she and her board members hosted their second community meeting, an evening get together at City Hall to share their progress and start sign up sheets for a work day in April and to volunteer to water.

Here’s a little bit about Glendale: It’s 1.2 miles large and is situated in central St. Louis County. These are just statistics, however. What they don’t tell you is the pride and passion its residents have for this place. Glendale was recently named the #1 community to live in Missouri. While there may be no city park (at least I have not come across one in the 4 years years I have lived here) if GGG has its way, the city will be unified with large containers overflowing with flowers, a native garden bed at the school, window boxes at local businesses and gardens and containers at City Hall.

Julie and her crew describe it as “magic.” Do you believe in magic? I know I do. I look forward to sharing progress of GGG in the coming months.