It may not be Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, but in Erindale, there’s a new star named Snakespeare and it’s growing by the day. Some rocks, a little paint and a whole lot of imagination are turning this Saskatoon neighbourhood into a very colourful stage. Carol Freberg was looking for a project to do with her two granddaughters when they visited last summer. After seeing a similar idea online, she decided to get started. “We looked for a big rock that would represent the head of the snake and then, you know, collected some rocks and said, you know, let’s get this started,” Freberg told CTV News. Haruna Oishi helped make the sign to let others know what it was all about. “Then we made the sign so that we added our rocks. And then the kids just kept adding and adding,” she said. At age 10, Oishi appreciates that the project gets kids outside and off their phones. “It’s good that the neighbourhood kids are coming out, doing crafts to see how long the snake can get,” she said. The people adding to Snakespeare are rarely seen. The scribes remain a mystery, adding another element of fun to the project. Older sister Suzuna Oishi, who came up with the name Snakespeare on the Pond, says the anonymity is part of what makes it special. “I like the idea of having everybody just contribute to the little big project, and they kind of show how creative people can be when they all come together.” The rocks are as varied as the people creating them. There’s a City of Saskatoon logo on one rock, a Rider Pride rock, googly eye faces, insects, personalized name rocks, food - including a cucumber - and even a Christmas-themed creation. The project has become something families look forward to. “Then they want to go for walks and check it out, see how long it’s gotten. Bring their own rocks or check out their friend’s rocks,” Suzuna Oishi said. Whole classrooms from the neighbourhood school have also come out to enjoy Snakespeare and add their own creations too. The result has given a renewed sense of community along the way. Freberg says she initially wondered whether the project would last. “I know some people are thinking, well, it’s just going to get destroyed. But everyone’s been really, really wonderful and supportive and respectful of it.” With more than 700 rocks already in place, this crew has a big goal in mind. “I feel like we can get to over 1,000 rocks. Probably because we’ve already done so much.” Haruna Oishi says the idea of Snakespeare stretching to the pond once seemed out of the question. “We had always joked about it getting all the way to the end, but I didn’t expect to get this long to be honest. And now that we’ve gotten this far, it seems a lot more possible.” For now, it continues to grow, one rock at a time, and they’re hopeful Snakespeare’s epilogue will see it reach the pond this summer, or next.
