The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Group turns boxes of rocks into family fun
Facebook group turns boxes of rocks into good, old-fashioned family-friendly fun
If you’ve stumbled upon a rock lately that just doesn’t look right, you’re not alone.
Some people have seen slabs resembling pizza slices, watermelon wedges, bugs, butterflies, duckies, bunnies, bumble bees, bouquets, fishies and even Lionel Richie.
But these folks aren’t just seeing things. It’s an actual thing.
Alliance resident Nancy Powell Pierson started the Facebook group Northeast Ohio Rocks! in July 2016, she wrote in a recent Facebook Messenger exchange in which she explained the burgeoning U.S. “rocks” movement.
“The first community ‘rocks’ group was Port Angeles Rocks (Washington). The group was started by Aisha Leah in January 2016. Aisha and her family would take walks and the kids would collect rocks,” Pierson writes. “Once she had so many rocks the family spent time painting them. Then, they decided to hide them on their walks.”
Pierson said Leah and her family began noticing that the rocks would go missing, so “Aisha started the very first community ‘rocks’ page and that was just the beginning.”
She said the movement grew rapidly and, by the time she started her group, there were already about 300 around the country. They each have their own, unique spin. But the idea is to collect and paint rocks, then hide them in hopes that whoever finds them will hide them again somewhere else to bring a pleasant surprise to yet another unsuspecting rock-art aficionado.
“Before I started the group. I did my homework,” Pierson writes. “This wasn’t just something we put together quickly. We looked at other groups across the United States. They are all different based on the area in the United States of the group but one thing is common, painting rocks to share smiles.”
She said some groups “work as kindness groups while others work as art abandonment groups.”
While she appreciates all of them, she said she and her husband “decided we wanted our group to be an act of random kindness group. We wanted the finder to re-hide the rock to pass on the kindness that was shared with him or her.”
She added that not everyone in Northeast Ohio has ready access to lots of rocks, so they thought this would be a good way to spread a little happiness.
“We wanted the rocks to continue sharing kindness, much like paying it forward at a drive-in window,” she writes.
The Northeast Ohio Rocks! group has a detailed summary of what it is, why it is and how it’s done in its perennial notification to members, located at the top of the page.
“Our group exists as an act of random kindness to unexpectedly brighten someone’s day one rock at a time and to pass it on. That is our mission; our goal,” the notification reads. “In doing this, we receive benefits as well. When we are creating, our mind is moved away from the stress in our lives and the issues in the world. When we hide rocks, we are giving and that just feels good. When we are looking for rocks to paint and looking for painted rocks, we are out in the fresh air and sunshine. When our rocks are found and posted, we are overcome by excitement.”
It goes on to explain how to participate:
“Take a walk and find a rock. Paint the rock and hide the rock!! We are painters and hiders. We are not hunters. We hope our finders join the group and become painters and hiders too!”
An even more detailed guide illuminating the finer points of rock painting, sealing and weatherproofing, labeling and appropriately hashtagging, along with a list of dos, don’ts and proper rock etiquette follows.
While some rocks groups are public, Northeast Ohio Rocks! is a closed group, meaning existing members invite others and the group grows that way. Its closed status apparently hasn’t hurt the group’s strength.
“Northeast Ohio Rocks! is the largest group,” she writes. “We estimate 2.5 million painted rocks have been shared across Ohio, the United States and around the world. Northeast Ohio Rocks! has inspired the beginning of about 60 other community “rocks” including in Santiago ,Chile, and Hoedspruit, South Africa. Northeast Ohio Rocks! have traveled internationally and have been found in Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Bora Bora, Tanzania, the Caribbean, Paris, Italy and many more.”
One Lake County family who only recently began pursuing the painting portion of the project made its first deposit of freshly painted matter around a Mentor city park. And they had a blast.
Holly Heron, her two boys — 4-year-old Gavin and 5-year-old Nolan, along with daughter — 11-year-old Bela Moore — had their first Northeast Ohio Rocks! encounter at Mentor’s Earth Day Celebration, where the group had a booth set up.
Then, Heron said, they found one more recently at Morley Library, which they then hid somewhere at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
“I kind of knew about it because Friends would post (on social media) that they found one,” she said as she and her crew hid their own hand-painted creations. “But this is the first time we’ve actually painted our own and gone out hiding them.”
Bela said she likes everything about the rock thing.
“It’s fun to paint and I like finding them,” she said. “And I get excited when I find one because it’s cool!”
One of the most important things about the whole sharing part of Northeast Ohio Rocks! is adding hashtags to them so others can follow along. Heron said when she and her kids started, they’d just use a permanent marker to inscribe one of their hashtags. But they’ve since switched to using the labels available under the “files” menu on the group’s page. See more about hashtags as they apply to the group in the fact box accompanying this article.
Another Lake County group member said she also appreciates all of the facets of this new phenomenon.
“I think the best part about this is that families are doing it together. It makes no difference your age or artistic ability,” Madison Township resident Lynne Brown typed in a recent Facebook Messenger exchange about the group. “I’m 65 and having a ball doing it even though I am no artist.”
She added that she also appreciates the post-painting part, when Rock Stars go out and hide their creations for others to find — and hopefully hide somewhere else to help spread the simple joy of making a unique discovery.
“Then families get out from behind their phones or tablets and actually get exercise hiding or looking for them,” she typed. “It is a win-win for everyone.”
Pierson will likely be tickled pink to learn that, as both the family-friendly and outdoors features of it are anything but accidents.
“The idea is to get outside by yourself or with your family. Find a rock, paint a rock, hide a rock,” she writes. “We paint rocks and hide rocks to unexpectedly brighten someone’s day and pass it on.”
She said the group has rules and guidelines in place “to keep the group positive, inspiring and child-safe.”
“We do not allow children’s names in any post or comment, rocks are to be “G” rated and any negative post or comment is removed at the discretion of the admins,” she writes.
“Many members love our group because of our rules. They refer to us as the best group on Facebook.”
Typing of admins — or
administrators — Pierson said she has a “wonderful group of admins who help run our group. Together and separately it takes about 20 hours per day to run our group,” and added that Northeast Ohio Rocks may also be found on Twitter and Instagram.
Between the monthly “Rock Off” challenges and actual events the group sponsors, it’s not tough to see why so many people have joined up in such a short amount of time.
Pierson says the best part about all of it is the individuality to which each of the group’s Rock Stars imparts on his or her creation.
“I love all the painted rocks and the stories about the rocks,” she writes. “The silly stories that make you smile or the inspirational stories of how someone unexpectedly found a rock when they needed it most to get them through an emotional or medical experience.”
She added that: “To date, I have painted 1,467 rocks. I have never found a rock.”
So the next time you see a rock that reads: “Hello. Is it me you’re looking for?” don’t ignore it. That slab with the portrait of Lionel Richie on it just might change your entire outlook on life.