You’ll Love The Come See Me Festival For These 3 Reasons
Come-See-Me is a much loved local tradition! Here at The Mercantile, we love Come-See-Me for it’s history, for it’s signature mascot-Glen, and for the events that bring community together!
1.Come-See-Me History
In 1962, Icky Albright, former Rock Hill Mayor & state Senator, co-founded the Come-See-Me Festival with local artist, Vernon Grant.
Originally founded as a weekend event, the Come-See-Me Festival is centered around the historic Glencairn Garden and encourages guests to enjoy Rock Hill during its peak season. Consistently awarded the prestigious honor of the South’s Top 20 Spring Festivals, Come-See-Me attracts 120,000+ guests.
2. Come-See-Me Mascot: Glen The Frog
Come-See-Me’s annual ambassador is Glen the Frog. Vernon Grant, a Rock Hill native and illustrator known for Snap, Crackle, and Pop® characters for Kellogg’s®. Grant drew Glen in 1964 as the Come-See-Me mascot. Glen represents the fun, carefree nature of Come-See-Me. “Glen, along with his friend Glenda, continue to embody the spirit of the festival for young and old alike.”
Grant stated in an interview in 1975 that his “experience in the advertising field told him that Come-See-Me needed a symbol all its own . . . Actually, what happened is that I was in the garden one morning when I heard a frog that was sitting on a lily pad singing.
During his lifetime Vernon Grant struck over twenty-three official poses of Glen and drew even more images for the festival’s coloring contest. Glen was clad in a variety of attires. No matter how Grant dressed Glen, you could count on Glen wearing Grant’s signature shoes with turny-up toes. Glen the Frog has appeared on bumper stickers, tee shirts, hats, visors, bottles and other festival souvenirs. – VernonGrant.org
Glen The Come-See-Me Mascot
I walked over and he said, ‘Good morning’.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name is Glen Cairn. Glen spelled with one ‘n’. Some call me Glenny but I don’t like it.”
“You’re handsome, you sing well, and you’re the essence of spring. How would you like to be the symbol of Come-See-Me?”