By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
When she painted and put down the first rock that would make up the head of the rock snake outside Bayes General Store in Willard, Kaitlyn Bellew hoped it would grow long enough to reach around the corner. Now that he’s stretched around the corner, from his starting spot by the front door, and down a good portion of the outside wall, Bellew said she’d like to see him keep growing.
“I hope (he keeps growing),” Bellew said. “I would like him to just go all the way around the building.”
But while Bellew, who also paints the window displays at Baye’s County Store, may have painted the first rock, she said she can’t take the credit the rock snake – who they’ve nicknamed “Rowdy.” She said the community and visitors, especially children, have contributed to his growth, and the idea came from her co-worker Rowetta Webb.
“She (Webb) wanted to start something,” Bellew explained.
She said Webb saw something similar on social media and took the idea from there.
“She had me paint the head of the snake, and wanted everyone – adults and children – to just paint a rock,” Bellew continued.
She said more than 50 people had contributed to the rock snake in the days before the Fourth of July holiday. Those who contributed to Rowdy’s growth by adding a rock, and then letting the staff know, were entered into a drawing for some small prizes that the store gave away over the Fourth of July holiday.
But the prize drawing, like the rocks adding to Rowdy’s length, were really just a way to engage with and give back to the community, Bellew said. Especially the community’s children.
Bellew said they’d like to see folks continue to contribute to Rowdy, even with the prize drawing closed, so that he can eventually wrap all the way around the building as she’s hoped for.
“That’d be really cool,” she said.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
