Rockton named winner of Rock Snake Competition

Roscoe Gardening Club President Renee Mealey inspired two communities by sharing a fun idea, the Community Snake Competition.

A summer-long community engagement project sponsored by the Roscoe Gardening Club encouraged families and friends alike to show off their creative flair by painting rocks and adding them to the rock snakes living at either Talcott Library in Rockton, IL or at the Roscoe Township Community Center in Roscoe, IL. A truly eye catching display came to life at both locations.

A close count showed that the residents of Rockton added 378 painted rocks to their snake, Rocky.

Roscoe residents did put up a great competition though, coming in with 324 rocks with Roscoe the snake.

On Sept. 14, 2024, Rockton received an official Roscoe Gardening Club Commemorative Rock denoting their accomplishments and of course will hold bragging rights for the next year.

Mealey says the snake was inspired by another community project, but Brittany Geng was the first to get the Rockton snake going.  Geng reflected:

“I started by doing Rockton Rocks almost 10 years ago, with my step kids, in 2016.

“It was a free activity that we could do from home while still using our creative energy to design rocks that were meaningful to each individual member of our family.

“When decorating rocks for Rocky, we started off using acrylic paint but quickly ordered acrylic paint markers to allow us to do more precise work.

“We found rocks everywhere we went, which brought an aspect of excitement to regular everyday life, and otherwise mundane tasks and errands.

“We found inspiration for our designs in all of those places: murals on buildings in Rockford, our favorite plants, our favorite animals, or our favorite foods. Two of my favorite rocks were mental health awareness rocks, plus my “Monstera Deliciosa” rock.

“My three year old had so much fun using his imagination. He also spent time with his friends painting rocks.

During the really hot days this was a great activity to stay cool in the house. It also brought us together with our loved ones without breaking the bank, which isn't easy in this day and age.”

A friendly competition ensued as residents contributed to each snake with the hopes of growing their community’s snake the most.

Roscoe Gardening Club Vice President Sheri Henson and her family got in on the action. “My granddaughter and sometimes her friends would come over and we painted rocks on the back porch,” Henson said, “We usually come up with themes and ideas and would go for it, whether it be Christmas, the sea, Halloween or inspirational. We didn't win but we sure had fun doing it.”

Unfortunately, vandals removed some rocks from the Rockton snake, including ones that said, "Mistakes are proof that you are trying" and "Tomorrow needs you."

Three members talked about their experience:

Linda Westholder said, “I did the current event rocks, featuring Paris Olympics, Rockford Speedway, and Ninja Turtles. I loved seeing all of the new ones every time I dropped off my new ones. It was fun!”

Barbary Gray and her granddaughter added to the rocks. “We loved seeing all of the different types in this friendly competition, what a great idea!

Susie said, “I saw the original Facebook post about Roscoe the snake and thought, 'What a great idea for our Roscoe, creative and community spirit was opened to all ages.' Our family had fun painting the rocks together, and our little ones were able to understand what we were doing once we added rocks to our snake. My daughter created the M&M's.”

Geng adds, “Rocky was different from Rockton Rocks in the sense that it was a short competitive project instead of a year round interactive activity. Both communities came together to make it a really special summer for my son and I.

"While Jase was pretty upset that he 'didn't even get to give Rocky a kiss goodbye' before he went into hibernation, I explained to him that Rocky is continuing to bring joy into people's lives in his new permanent home at Marshmallows Hope where all 702 of this year’s rocks have been collected, to help them establish a rock garden."

Marshmallow’s Hope is a not for profit organization committed to suicide prevention and mental health issues in Rockford, run by founder Laura Kane. This outreach organization was founded in memory of Zachary Birkholz, Kane's 14 year old son who tragically died by suicide in 2018.

A grand reopening took place at their facility at 1628 Temple Lane, celebrating with a ribbon cutting on Monday, September 16, 2024.

“We still have minor meltdowns when we pass the library,” Geng said, “but I couldn't have imagined a better way to display our rocks. I think that Jase is starting to understand just how special Rocky's new home is. Some day when he is old enough to understand what Marshmallows Hope is and the help that they provide for our community, I know that he will be proud to have been part of this.”

“We are beyond excited for the next Rocky/Roscoe competition in 2025. We hope this will be an annual event for years to come!”

“I think everyone was surprised at how well this project was received in both communities,” Mealey said.

“It was exciting to watch the snakes grow all summer as families added their artwork to the snakes. We were also amazed at the level of creativity our communities hold... We believe it really brought out everyone’s creative and competitive instincts.”

Roscoe Gardening Club anticipates that, based on the excitement and joy this project brought to both communities, it will be back again next summer.

“Community outreach is an important part of our mission,” commented Sheri Henson, Roscoe Gardening Club’s Vice President. “We are always looking for fun and interesting ways to engage all members in our communities.”

The Roscoe Gardening Club, started in January 2024, is free to anyone wishing to join.

Sponsorship and donations enable the group to host monthly meetings with speakers on a variety of gardening related topics including wildlife, civic beautification and development and improving our environment.

The group holds their monthly meetings at the Roscoe Township Community Center located at 4562 Hononegah Rd, Roscoe, IL. A calendar of events can be found on the group’s Facebook page or online at www.roscoegardeningclub.org. Friends are encouraged to join by signing up via Facebook.