Gnome is where the heart is

(July 8, 2020) Those walking the trail near the Worcester County Veterans Memorial in Ocean Pines during the last few months may have been in for a small surprise: a miniature gnome village that appeared to magically spring from the hollow of a tree.

The tiny village can be found on the trail along the pond, near Manklin Creek Road.

Two local women brought the scene to life, although both asked to remain anonymous. The goal, they said, was not attention, but just to brighten people’s days. 

“We really didn’t want to take any credit for putting a smile on people’s faces in this difficult time,” one of the women, who agreed to an anonymous interview in early May, said. 

“We have been walking the pond every morning for the past two years,” she continued. “We always talked about how that hole in the tree would make a cute home for an animal and wondered why none had ever taken up residence there.”

The friend suggested the hollow would make for a “cute gnome home” and the woman agreed. 

“We decided we were going to make it one, so she brought the first gnome, the bench and moss. I added another gnome and the fencing. We kept adding a little more to it and eventually others did too,” she said.

“It makes me happy, because people love it!” she continued. “It kinda just fit with the nature element and they [the gnomes] are very popular right now.”

 The two friends are thrilled with the positive response, which has included many posts on social media that shared photos of the tiny surprise. Ocean Pines also received numerous submitted photos of the scene.

“We just wanted to brighten people’s day and bring a smile, and it did just that!” the woman said. “It made us even happier to see people joining in and adding to it. We all would love to live in the non-coronavirus gnome village right about now!”

And what about other tiny gnome homes popping up in Ocean Pines?

“We may do another hole in a tree!” the woman said. “There are some others we have spotted on our walks. Keep an eye out … there may be others.”