Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Do you know anyone who owns a zoo? We do! While we have six kids, three dogs, a cat, and a hedgehog, this is not the zoo I am referring to.
Our family owns The Glendale Zoo, conveniently located on the berm in our front yard at 429 North Sappington Rd in Glendale.
The Glendale Zoo founded by Ms. Wendy Decaro lived on the corner of Highland Place and Venneman Avenue. Our youngest daughter Illiana loved Ms. Decaro's whimsical yard covered with white antique bird cages that housed tiny resin zoo animals. Illiana joyfully tended to the animals and delighted in discovering new animals that were added by the neighborhood kids to help expand the zoo. When it came time for the Decaros to sell their home, Ms. Decaro knew precisely who the next caretaker of the Glendale Zoo should be.
Imagine my surprise and Illiana's happiness when we came home one day to find the entire Glendale Zoo on our front porch with a beautiful note asking Illiana to care for the zoo so the neighborhood kids still had a place to play with the animals. Illiana was in heaven, and the zoo was relocated to our front yard facing Sappington Road (next door to Vitale's Deli).
Illiana takes her zoo-keeping responsibility quite seriously, arranging the animals for kids to stop and play while on walks with their moms. And, of course, the zoo is decorated for holidays like Halloween and Christmas.
It is sad to leave our Glendale home, but we know the Glendale Zoo will be well taken care of by its new owners. And - we are excited to announce that, yes, indeed, we'll bring some of the white antique bird cages, lions, tigers, and bears to our new home on 408 Gill Avenue. Zoo-keeper extraordinaire Illiana can't wait to welcome you to the Kirkwood Zoo.
@HomeWorkwithTrisha features stories about people, places, and things related to the home. Follow Trisha on Facebook and Instagram at @HomeWorkwithTrisha and @408GillAve. Walk by 408 Gill Ave in Kirkwood to visit the new Zoo.
