Bella Vista Rocks: Making people happy
In Bella Vista, not everyone walking around with their eyes down is playing Pokemon Go on their phone. Another game is taking off in the city — but it doesn’t involve a smart phone, although there is a Facebook component.
Bella Vista Rocks was started by Jennifer Helvey just a couple of weeks ago. She heard about Rocks from a friend who lives in Missouri and knew it was perfect for Bella Vista.
Helvey started the “Bella Vista Rocks” Facebook page, then she picked up a bucket of rocks and painted them.
The rocks, usually small enough to be easily relocated, can be painted with any colors and any design — as long as it’s family friendly, Helvey cautioned. Everyone is welcome to paint as many as they would like.
“Make sure you put on Bella Vista Rocks,” she said. She usually adds the blue Facebook icon, so people know to look for the page.
Some rocks are just an interesting design, others feature flowers or simple drawings. Some have words, like the one near the door of the Police Department that reads, “Back the Blue.”
Once the rocks are painted, they are hidden somewhere in Bella Vista — some in plain sight, some take a little bit of searching.
When you find a rock, you can keep it if you like it, or you can hide it again, Helvey said. There are no rules, except the Bella Vista Rocks should stay in Bella Vista. Many of the rock hunters take their picture with a found rock and post it on the Facebook page, she said.
Amanda Stewart, assistant manager of The Greens II, the timeshare complex near Riordan Hall, is a fan. She’s always helping visitors to Bella Vista find things to do. Now she has a whole new recommendation.
“It’s just really neat,” she said about her guests playing the game. “They’ve been finding a lot of rocks here on our property…. They look at the resort and all over Bella Vista.”
Many of the 200 members of the Facebook group report rock hunting with children or grandchildren. Helvey believes that when school is back in session, the game will spread to even more players.
“I love making people happy,” Helvey said, “and this is one way to make people happy.”