Rock On
Overdue Recognition for an Island Landmark
By George Soltes
Photos Courtesy Bainbridge Frog Rock
Iconic landmarks often have their roots in major historical events. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis commemorated the westward expansion of the United States. The Space Needle looked ahead to the space age. And Bainbridge’s Frog Rock rectified a taunt from a rival high school.
On June 7, 1971, at around 3:30 a.m., high school sweethearts and recent BHS graduates Ellen Barnes and Bob Green decided that they could no longer tolerate having “NK Lives” scrawled on a neighborhood rock. The graffiti had been inscribed in purple on a pair of stacked granite boulders at the junction of Phelps Road and North Madison Avenue by students from neighboring North Kitsap High School.
Armed with a quickly assembled assortment of paint, the couple went to work. By the time the sun came up, the formation formerly known as Split Rock had been transformed into a green frog with red, curlicue lips. Frog Rock was born.
Frog Rock has since gained a ladybug companion and has been touched up and accessorized in numerous ways, including being sensibly masked during the COVID pandemic. Having endured for more than five decades, it has become a symbol of the island’s unique personality.
This year, the humble frog will finally get its due, with the City of Bainbridge Island officially declaring the first week of May as Frog Rock Week. Islander Denise Stoughton, who spearheaded the effort, has created a website dedicated to all things frog and will debut her documentary “The Story of Frog Rock” as part of Frog Rock Festival on May 3. For those wanting to take home a piece of the action, Bay Hay & Feed has launched a Frog Rock hoodie and Island Life Artisan Gifts will carry a variety of amphibious merch.
Meanwhile, what about Ellen and Bob, the teens who inadvertently started the whole thing? They, too, have endured and, after more than 50 years of marriage, look forward to being right in the middle of all the froggy festivities.
>>Learn more at bainbridgefrogrock.com
