u. city | It’s been said that people who think they can run the world should start with a small garden, and no one could agree more than the volunteer gardeners and small-scale landscape architects of U. City in Bloom (UCB), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. But no one ever knows quite what they’re getting into when they put in more than 200 gardens all over town that they have to maintain. In 1985, three U. City neighbors decided to plant 600 daffodil bulbs to brighten the median in an intersection near their homes. This year marks the 40th anniversary of that fall day when three friends took the first steps toward founding what would become a volunteer-based, nonprofit group that designs, plants and maintains scores of public garden locations throughout the city. UCB developed the beautiful gardens surrounding the city’s historic Civic Plaza, its recreation center, Centennial Commons and the U. City Public Library, as well as dozens of smaller neighborhood plantings in quiet corners or near busy street intersections. Larger gardens feature benches and walking paths. Entrance gardens greet students at all public schools, and some elementary schools incorporate vegetable gardens where pupils learn to grow some of the food they eat. This fall, UCB holds its biennial Garden Tour and Plein Air Art Festival on Sept. 28, from 1 to 5 p.m., with an evening reception and sale of the artists’ works starting at 5 p.m. at the Heman Park Community Center, 975 Pennsylvania Ave. To volunteer for UCB, donate to support it or purchase tickets for the upcoming event, visit ucityinbloom.org.
soulard
Behind Soulard’s historic houses, lively bars and restaurants lurks an eerie past that will be revealed for the first time during an inaugural ghost tour Sept. 27. The ‘Spirits of Soulard’ walking tour will introduce adults ages 18 and older to the area’s spookiest spots and the spirits who call them home. Tours begin at Pieces Board Game Bar & Restaurant, 2727 S. 12th St. near the Anheuser-Busch campus. Starting at 5 p.m., five groups of 20 will depart from Pieces on foot every 20 minutes, led by Soulard residents who are well-acquainted with the neighborhood’s haunted history. The two-hour guided walking tour is 10 blocks long and covers five stops, including:
- A vacant lot, once home to a Civil War hospital and a long-lost estate destroyed by fire, where a mysterious mist has been seen rising from the ground
- A grand mansion built in the 1870s by an Austrian physician, whose spirit is said to still roam the grounds, including the underground tunnels
- A former bar where a laborer who died in a gruesome industrial accident is rumored to linger, tirelessly working on the property
The tour is sponsored by Soulard Restoration Group (SRG). All proceeds support SRG activities, including neighborhood beautification and historic preservation. With only 100 tickets available, the event is expected to sell out quickly. Shuffle over to soulard.org.
the metro
Josephine Baker, St. Louis born dancer, Allied spy and civil-rights activist, has had a resurgence in recent years, both here and in her adopted country of France. In 2021, Baker became the first Black woman and first American inducted into the Panthéon in Paris, a rare honor recognizing her contributions to France and humanity. Meanwhile, murals depicting her have popped up all over the Lou, and a vast collection of her costumes and personal items will soon be in the care of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park at the bequest of local philanthropist Mary Strauss. One, Bakerfix, is a hair relaxer that helped create the distinctive swooping curls that framed her face. Famous for her banana-skirt dance at the Folies Bergère, she became one of the most celebrated entertainers in Europe during the Jazz Age. During World War II, she worked with the French Resistance and British and American intelligence services, earning the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honour. She refused to perform for segregated audiences and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. The murals are part of a citywide tribute by French street artist Christian Guémy, known as C215, who created several outdoor portraits of Baker across St. Louis to honor her legacy. Our photo is of the portrait of Baker on a wall near the Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop. Another is at Alliance Française de St. Louis, North McKnight and Old Bonhomme in western U. City. Each mural captures a different facet of Baker’s life—from her artistry to her role in the French Resistance. This vibrant citywide gallery honors one of our most iconic natives. Other mural locations: The Griot Museum of Black History, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, various streets, including Boulevard Josephine Baker.
notable neighbors
downtown
If Dave Glover hadn’t passed the LSAT in the late 1980s, perhaps he’d have had 35 years at a radio mic instead of only 25 … as of this October, that is. Glover’s career has taken a few twists and turns, but one thing’s remained consistent since he was a youngster—his timing and sense of humor. “When I was a kid, the only thing I could do was make people laugh,” says Glover, host of a popular four-hour radio talk show on KMOX-FM (104.1). And if his patter isn’t generating chuckles from his two co-hosts, who he admits are a pretty tough audience, he seamlessly changes the subject: “We talk about all of it: entertainment, sports, even religion.” But they avoid the low-hanging fruit. “We try not to talk about politics, because they’ve become so divisive, and that’s all everybody else is talking about anyhow,” the U. City resident points out. They’ll broach the subject, but only in a roundabout way, as demonstrated on a recent afternoon, during their 1-to-5 p.m. slot. The topic? If you had to leave the United States to live somewhere else, where would that be? Somebody said he wouldn’t leave, while another ventured Canada. Someone else picked about as far as you could go. No, not Mars—Australia. Glover graduated from high school in South Roxana, Illinois, then earned his bachelor’s in 1987 from SIU-Edwardsville. He graduated with a law degree in 1990 from WashU and started practicing during some pretty heady times. One of his first cases was during the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. But by the time he’d filed away his legal pads in 2000, he’d had his fill of lawyering. When someone called to discuss a radio gig, he jumped at the chance. “It wasn’t bravery,” he recalls, with a short laugh. “It was desperation.” Glover has been able to parlay his radio presence into fulfilling community-service work, most significantly with a hospice nonprofit, No One Dies Alone (NODA). His mom was in a Bethesda retirement home after several bad falls when he became interested in the program. Glover’s contingent, which had about 15 volunteers when he joined, now boasts 75 members. When his mother passed away at 96 in the facility one night last year, Glover couldn’t be there. But a NODA volunteer was at her side, holding her hand. “It was a great comfort to me to know that a volunteer was with my mom,” he says. You know where to find Glover on the dial; details on his show are at kmox.com. If you’d like to learn more about spending time with someone’s dying loved one, visit bethesdahealth.org. “It’s if you want to do something real,” he says. “And really challenging.”
Bill Beggs Jr. has worn many hats at newspapers, magazines and in marketing communications since before the era of the floppy disc. Now he just wears a hat to keep his bald spot from getting sunburnt. You can reach him at wrtrs.blck@gmail.com.