Growing 'rock snake' in West St. Paul becomes community collaboration

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Guiding kids through craft projects has been a joy for Rebecca Quick for a long time.  Especially when it involves a way to connect with her grandkids.

"It’s so true because the two oldest boys, my grandsons they are 12. And just at that in-between age, it’s hard to find those connections," says Quick. "It’s so sweet I got a text from Jack and he said Rocko has 56 rocks!"

Years ago Quick led a weekly rock painting class in Costa Rica because people in the area she was visiting couldn’t afford to buy paper.

"It was a huge gamut of teenagers to some really talented painters." Said Quick. "They did beautiful things they could sell the tourists."

Now barely two weeks ago, after being inspired by something she saw on Facebook, Quick started a colorful rock snake outside the Wentworth Library in West St Paul. She named it "Rocko" and invited others to help him grow.

"It’s very kid-friendly and fun for the family," says Quick’s grandson Jack.

Kevin Hendricks, founder, and editor of the West St Paul Reader, broke the story of the anonymous art installation. He also happens to be on the library’s advisory board.

(FOX 9)

"One of the fun things about neighborhood news that we do is the stories keep evolving," says Hendricks. "People interact with it and live here and you can kind of see it grow."

Rocko grew so quickly. At just a few days old, Rocko had to be relocated off the sidewalk. Then he lost his head.

"On Saturday, we arrived and there was no head," explained added Jess Gould, Wentworth children’s librarian. "I just grabbed another rock out there and we have Posca pens and I whipped something up. But I’m not nearly as great of an artist as Rebecca."

With a new head leading the way, library staff is already talking about moving Rocko inside for winter.

"I’m a big fan of art and community and collaborative contribution," says Gould. "I think it’s a neat thing a library patron initiated this."

During the pandemic, plenty of rock snakes popped up across the country and around the world. In California, one stretches around a lake. At last check, another in Utah is 65 feet long. The list goes on and on. For all the artists united by a snake, Rocko and others have even more fans slowing their stroll to take a closer look.

"Because it shows what everyone is thinking," says Krys Fisher, as she walked into the library. "Everyone has a different idea yet they are all together."

For Quick, Rocko’s growth is quietly also helping her heal her grief. The day the online paper posted a story was the same day she buried her dad and Jack's great-grandfather.

"I had just come home from the funeral and my daughter sent the link to Rocko being the newspaper," says Quick. "That made my heart happy because it was a pretty sad day."

No one knows how long Rocko will be around, or how long he’ll get. "Maybe we’ll dedicate him to my dad," says Quick.

For now, his creator simply hopes contributions from anonymous artists offer anyone who needs it, a reason to smile.

"It’s fun to see people taking a second look," says Quick. "So the bigger he gets, the better."