After Yearlong Search, Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden Lands in St. Cloud

(KNSI) – After a year of visiting cities and exploring numerous park locations, the Central Minnesota Rainbow Bridge Memorial Garden has finally found its permanent home at Heritage Park in St. Cloud, with construction set to begin this spring.

Laura Ellavsky, founder and president of the memorial garden, started pushing for a place for people to remember their beloved pets after her dog passed away. She’s spent the past year navigating challenges that would have deterred most people. The project started at Talahi Woods, shifted to Pioneer Park, and involved conversations with officials in Sartell, St. Joseph, Waite Park, Sauk Rapids, and Clearwater before circling back to St. Cloud. No public funds are being spent on the project.

What kept her going through the setbacks? “My dog, Mozzie, who is the reason I started all of this, just kind of has kept me going. And meeting with people who have shared similar relationships and stories that they’ve had with their own animals has been really moving. And at times that we felt like we were hitting our heads against the wall, somebody would come in and share something about how this was so important to them and so special.”

Her determination was unwavering. “Until I hear no from every single option, we got to keep going. So, it’s really the love that I had and have still for my dog, Mozzie, and for the people here in this community.”

The Rainbow Bridge will be the garden’s centerpiece, scheduled to open this summer. Board member and secretary Megan Wagner explained the design plans. “We want it to be more of an artistic piece. So it’ll be painted like a rainbow going the lengthwise of the bridge and paw prints going over the bridge.” The bridge will arc over a dry bed—a pond of rocks instead of water. Visitors can take a rock home, paint it, and bring it back to place in the dry pond.

The memorial is inspired by the popular pet loss poem “Rainbow Bridge” by Edna Clyne-Rekhy, which has brought comfort to pet owners worldwide. The garden will allow visitors to hang pet collars on the bridge and purchase engraved memorial tags to be mounted on the structure.

Beyond the bridge, plans include plantings of arspera, tall grasses, and hydrangeas, along with annual flowers. The garden will feature a Kids’ Corner with educational spaces about pollinators and nature, plus a little library stocked with grief support materials and children’s books about pet loss.

The project is expected to grow over the coming years, with the Rainbow Bridge serving as the foundation for a larger memorial space where the community can honor beloved pets and find comfort.

The organization is seeking donations to cover costs for plants, maintenance, and potential irrigation systems. Volunteers will be needed for planting days this summer. Those interested can donate store-bought plants, seeds, or funds through the organization’s Facebook page.

___