Earlier this month, five residents took the time last week to create a beautiful rock garden in celebration of the Fredonia High School graduating class.

Displayed in front of M&T Bank at Main and Water streets, Christine M. Nicosia Buchanan, her daughter and graduating senior Anna Buchanan, her sister-in-law Caryn Henderson Nicosia, best friend Natalie Newman Bigelow and her daughter Sydney Bigelow spent a Sunday painting rocks with the names of every senior graduate on them.

“It took us about three hours to paint them,” Buchanan told the OBSERVER. “We’ve been painting rocks throughout the entire COVID-19 and leaving them around town. Doing this was just something special we could do to honor these kids that lost so much of the senior year.”

After painting the 114 graduating students’ names and a piece of slate symbolizing the year, each rock was sprayed with a clear varnish to help protect against rain and buried as deep as possible to ensure they’d stay put.

OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward

Buchanan got the idea after speaking with the Doug and Julie Essek as they participated in a downtown cleanup project the two had spearheaded the last few weeks. She was invited to create something for the village and this is what she settled on.

“It’s so colorful and the kids have enjoyed going down and finding their names on the rocks,” Buchanan said. “It worked out well and has gotten a lot of attention around the area.”

The rocks were put in place on June 16 and people have been marveling at them on social media and in person since.

“I’m not sure if and when we will take it down,” Buchanan offered. “But perhaps in a few weeks I’ll put out a message on Facebook telling the kids that if they want to take their rock they can. They should have it. We just want to enjoy it for a little longer as it’s just so pretty.”

OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward