The “Magic of Chemistry” is a hands-on, inquiry-based educational program, designed to ignite and retain girls' interest in science at an age where national studies indicate they begin to lose this curiosity. It has been nationally recognized by the American Chemical Society (ACS), Girl Scouts of the USA, National Science Foundation and White House. Program workshops are held on Saturdays twice a year, during National Chemistry and National Girl Scout Weeks, on the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) campus. Using ACS resources, three different workshops — “Case of the Unsigned Letter”, “Fun with Polymers”, and “Chemistry of Color” — were developed and rotate annually. This format allows junior Girl Scouts (fourth through sixth graders) to attend a different program every year. Four hundred girls from 18 mid-Missouri counties, served by the Girl Scouts - Heart of Missouri Council, participate each year. In 2003, the program expanded the Becky Thatcher Council via Truman State University, Hannibal-LaGrange College, and Culver Stockton College. At its most basic level, the “Magic of Chemistry” program educates the general public about the importance of chemistry. More importantly, it fosters the girls' sense of confidence and interest in scientific discovery and promotes life-long learning. The impact this program has on these young girls is illustrated by comments, such as “Wow, this is chemistry!”. Two thousand Girl Scouts, 950 volunteers and 13 burnt pickles later, this presentation describes the experience of bringing a large-scale community science program to fruition.