Cranford Dental, Frogs, and Come See Me

At Cranford Dental we love talking about our community nearly as much as we enjoy discussing dental health. And during Spring, we tell patients who are new to town all about Rock Hill’s wonderful festival, Come See Me.

2023 Come-See-Me Update

2023 Come-See-Me was a great time for Rock Hill and for the staff and families of Cranford Dental. Best of all, we enjoyed seeing many patients and friends at all of the events.

The big news for 2023 is that Dr. Robinson’s son Cheney won the annual frog jump. This follows the tradition started by wins in 1991 and 1996 (see below).

On the Friday night before the Frog Jump, Dr. Bill Cranford, Dr. Elizabeth Robinson, and 6 year old Liddy Robinson went to the Darby farm in Chester to catch a frog. Although it was a little cold, they brought home a big healthy frog.

We all cheered as the frog jumped 54 feet, the winning jump. Liddy and Cheney’s frog beat out 400 contestants for a win!

Another highlight for our office was sponsoring Chalk on Main. To show our support, we dressed in spring t-shirts and brought our children to decorate Main Street with chalk drawings. Then we walked to the food trucks and had a fun meal.

Here are some of Dr. Bill Cranford’s favorite memories of Come See Me over past years. And of course, he tells of his favorite event: The Mayor’s Frog Jump.

Rock Hill Dentist Bill Cranford Remembers Come-See-Me

The first Come-See-Me-Festival was in 1962, when I was 8 years old. A weekend event, it was planned for the most beautiful time of year in Rock Hill.

Even as a young boy, I noticed the beautiful flowers that bloomed all over Rock Hill in the Spring. And I always loved Glencairn Gardens. In fact, my Aunt Mary Elizabeth lived right across the street, thus I visited the gardens often.

And I liked hearing stories of the community leaders who started Come See Me and so many other great opportunities for Rock Hill families. Likewise, I encourage Cranford Dental to support this festival and other community events.

Mayor’s Frog Jump: Catching the Frog

Truthfully, I am not sure if I or my three young daughters had a better time with the Come-See-Me Frog Jump.

In those days, we went out and found our own frogs. Of course, that was part of the fun. And I had experience with frogs from my childhood days of catching frogs in ponds and ditches around Rock Hill.

So on Friday night before the Saturday event, my friend Rusty Darby and I loaded up our seven young daughters and headed out to catch frogs at his farm in Chester.

These frogs were huge. And they were dirty, slimy, and a little scary. But our children didn’t mind, because these frogs could jump.

The girls used all kinds of tricks (which I won’t share here) to make the frogs jump longer and higher when they were released from their buckets.

Come See Me Frog Jump: The Early Years

Rock Hill was smaller in the early 1990s. Therefore we knew a good many of the kids who competed in the frog jump. In reality, this made for a fun and very competitive event.

Our girls (and their dads) worked hard to catch and groom their frogs. They wanted to win.

In 1991, Margaret Cranford’s frog jumped out ahead and won the frog jump. What an exciting moment for a 3 year old and her sisters and friends!

Come See Me Grows—and Frog Jump Grows

The Frog Jump grew each year during the 1990s. And we got better at catching frogs that could jump high and long.

In addition, the festival grew bigger each year. Therefore we had a blast on frog jump day, win or lose. It was fun hanging out and enjoying the food and fun.

During the next few years, the Darby girls had two wins. Obviously, Chester county frogs can really jump!

Another Frog Jump Win: 1996

In 1996, Will Cranford was 3 years old. How exciting for all of us that he won the frog jump that year.

Will and his friends had as much fun looking for frogs as his sisters and their friends had. In fact, Will quickly became an expert in catching and training frogs.

His frogs grew larger and louder each year. Here he shows off his frog and his Come See Me shirts.

Come See Me: A Plus for Rock Hill

We always enjoyed sharing good times at Come See Me with family and friends. Of course, our guests from out of town loved visiting in the spring and attending the festival.

In 1994, family from Tennessee brought their daughters to visit. Obviously, we were “all in” for Come See Me.

Come See Me: Glencairn Gardens

The founders of our festival wanted to share our beautiful gardens with our visitors. They knew that putting on Come See Me was a good way to draw guests to Rock Hill.

From the early days, they planned events in Glencairn Gardens. And as the festival grew, the Gardens became larger and even more beautiful.

We liked to take photos after church during Come See Me. Later the girls and their friends returned to Glencairn Gardens for prom photos.

Come See Me and the News

As our festival grew, word spread through news article in our local paper, radio station, and news magazines across the state and even nation. And then fun photos appeared on social media and websites.

In 1998, The Rock Hill Herald published a full page story about the festival. We framed it, along with favorite photos from past frog jumps.

In the top photo, Will Cranford (in red hat) and Creighton Hayes cheer on their frogs.

Come See Me, Frogs, and Cranford Dental

This year we show our support for Come See Me by sponsoring Chalk on Main. And by encouraging our staff and their families to attend the festival.

Who knew in 1962 that the festival would turn into the huge and fun filled event that Come See me is in 2022? Yes, I have loved watching it grow every year.

Please contact our office or call 803-324-7670 if you have questions about Frogs or Come See Me. Or if we can answer questions about your teeth or dental health. Also, we welcome you to visit Cranford Dental at 1721 Ebenezer Road in Rock Hill.

We look forward to seeing you at Come-See-Me in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

And by the way, our grandchildren are looking forward to the 2024 Frog Jump!