‘Jump those frogs!’: Rock Hill’s Come-See-Me kicks off weekend events with frog jump
Dozens of slimy frogs in a storage container made to be a makeshift bog jumped around awaiting little hands. They were placed on a felt lily pad on an astroturf soccer field where they competed for the long jump.
The Mayor’s Frog Jump kicked off Saturday’s Come-See-Me events at Rock Hill’s Manchester Meadows. Come-See-Me is a nine-day festival and an ode to spring.
Dozens of excited kids gingerly placed their frogs on the lily pad and awaited the signal.
“Jump those frogs!” the announcer said.
The once gentle hands turned into a foot-stomping, mouth-blowing free-for-all as kids and tried to get their frog to speedily jump across the field.
The goal was not to see who could beat who, but how far the amphibians jumped. By 1 p.m. the distance to beat was 49 feet. A giant frog trophy went to the frog jumper at the end of the day. The winner was announced at 4 p.m.
“We have a new record!” the announcer yelled.
A crowd of nearby parents and children giggled as the frogs’ names were announced at the start of a race. The frogs had names like Snoop Froggy Frog, iHop, Frogzilla and Mona Lisa.
Six-year-old Jennings Pope wore a pink and white smocked dress decorated with green frogs. She wore a large bright green bow in her hair.
“I kind of clapped and stomped it a lot,” said Jennings, who held her frog named Azalea. “It really hopped a long way but it wasn’t really far, but it jumped good.”
Devin Dixon, 8, had a smirk on his face when he held his frog named Chunk.
“He was all ready to jump out of our hands,” Devin said. “I got behind him on my knees.”
One little girl was leaning back, making a disgusted face towards the leaping frogs in the bin. Her dad put it close to her face and laughed.
“She’s not too impressed dad,” an onlooker said.
Zoe Barton, 7, said she caught her own frog at her grandma and grandpa’s pond the night before.
“I had to scream at the frog or shoo him,” Zoe said.
After a successful jump, but not the longest in distance, a mom and dad congratulated their son on a job well done.
“Back in my day, you had to catch a frog,” the mom said as they walked away.
The Come-See-Me Festival continues Saturday with a handful of events in Rock Hill. Visit comeseeme.org for details of events throughout the week. The festival continues through Saturday, April 24.
This story was originally published April 17, 2021 at 4:28 PM.
