Central California: Morro Bay seeks tales of couples engaged at the Rock

Morro Rock is a California historic landmark and a reserve for peregrine falcons and other birds. It even has its own TripAdvisor entry with more than 500 reviews (“A True Rock Star,” one reviewer crows.) But is it a love magnet too? Apparently so.

The Central Coast town of Morro Bay is seeking stories about the Rock’s romantic draw in a photo contest it’s launching Wednesday called “Engage the Rock.”

“As a member of the LGBT community, I am hoping we get a wide variety of couples to participate,” Brent Haugen, executive director of the Morro Bay Tourism Bureau, says in a statement.

People pop the question within view of the 500-plus-foot rock all the time, the statement says.

“They take kayaks out there and get engaged, they go all over, there are views everywhere,” a spokeswoman says.

Couples who became engaged at the rock are encouraged to share the details and describe how they met in a story and a photo uploaded to Morro Bay’s website.

Friends, family and complete strangers then vote for their favorite story.

Each month winners receive “wedding-related gifts” from community businesses. Finalists square off for a $500 grand prize — maybe toward a wedding? — that’s awarded on Valentine’s Day.

Info: Morro Bay website