New resident mysteriously shows up, brings happiness to community | WTAJ

ST. MARYS, ELK COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new St. Marys resident showed up mysteriously, but she has now found a home and is very well loved.

“She has become kind of a famous character around our town too,” Rachel Lampe, from the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce, said. “She is our own special celebrity around St. Marys.”

She is known as Rhonda the Rock Snake. She has been spreading smiles since June 2023. While that’s not a whole lot of time, it has been enough to bring this community together.

“We get to see a lot of people paint rocks all day and check on her,” Andrew Mohney, from Tablespoons Cafe & Deli, said. “There are a lot of people who have been checking on her.”

Rhonda sits around the diamond in St. Marys. She is hundreds of rocks long, but how exactly does she grow? Well, that is up to the residents who paint unique designs to make her bigger and bigger.

“To me it is kind of interesting,” Jim Delullo, general manager of J.M. Delullo Stone, said. “I mean just to see different people in the town, in the community, adding on. We would love to see it go all around the diamond.”

Delullo had the right idea. He brought a bucket of rocks for everyone to use.

“My wife and I thought it would be a great idea,” he explained. “Let’s set some rocks down here in a bucket and watch it grow.”

It is a treat walking past her. You’ll get to see some fun, colorful art, as well as uplifting notes like encourage one another, spread kindness like confetti and be the reason someone smiles today.

“It’s easy to do,” Lampe said. “Anyone can participate and anyone can enjoy it, so it has been a great time.”

Some nearby businesses are even calling Rhonda a close friend. After all, they check on her and count her rocks every day.

Kylee Ehrensberger, with Keystone Cold-Blooded, even brought a real snake along.

“So this is a boa constrictor,” she said while holding the snake. “I thought it was only natural I brought a real snake to a rock snake.”

The only question we all have now is who brought Rhonda to the area?

“We suspect somebody,” Mohney said. “They will never come out and admit to it, but it is nice to keep it anonymous just because it adds a bit to the mystery.”

While Rhonda’s creator remains a mystery, her mission of happiness is well-known. She brings smiles, kindness and positivity to all who walk by her.

“For me, if painting rocks with your family puts a smile on your face, a little bit of happiness, Rhonda has done her job,” Karen Mohney, from Tablespoons Cafe & Deli, said. “Even if you don’t paint a rock and you just happen to walk past her and smile a little bit, Rhonda has done her job.”

Right now no one knows how long Rhonda will be in St. Marys. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The idea has even spread to neighboring areas. Ramsey, a cousin of Rhonda, is in Johnsonburg. There’s a rock snake in Emporium as well.

Reach out to Maggie Smolka if you know someone or an organization that’s making it matter in the community. You can email msmolka@wtajtv.com or message her on Facebook.