HOULTON, Maine — Take a stroll around town and chances are you may have come across a tiny, but beautifully painted rock tucked into some inconspicuous location.
Those rocks are part of a new trend that is capturing the hearts and imaginations of young and old alike as people are painting and hiding these rocks with the hope of bringing a smile to someone’s face.
“I’m not sure who came up with the idea originally or where it came from,” said Audrey Cochran, one of the organizers of the group “Katahdin Rocks.” “There were groups doing it out in Washington state where I used to live. I had just heard about it and started painting a few rocks there right before I moved.
The concept is simple — just paint a rock and hide it for someone else to find. Usually the artists paint “Katahdin Rocks” or “Houlton Rocks” on the back to let people know from which Facebook group the rock originated.
People are encouraged to take a photograph of themselves holding the rock and to post it in the respective Facebook group so the creator knows it has been found. People can either keep the rock or re-hide it for others to find. Any individual who keeps a rock is encouraged to paint one of his or her own to hide for someone else to find.
Houlton resident Stefanie Schillinger painted these artistic creations for the “Houlton Rocks” group. The rocks have been hidden around the greater Houlton area as part of a scavenger hunt craze.
(Contributed photo)
Cochran created Katahdin Rocks in hopes that a few people might enjoy the idea of searching for the artfully decorated stones. Little did she realize it would explode into the next big thing.
Katahdin Rocks boasted nearly 1,200 members as of Tuesday morning with participants covering much of southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties.
“I didn’t want to limit it (Katahdin Rocks) to just one town, being that Patten is rather small, so I figured call it Katahdin Rocks to cover the Katahdin Region,” Cochran said. “We have painters that hide rocks all over, as far north as Presque Isle, and as far south as Bangor.”
The Houlton Rocks group is led by Cheryl Drake and Kate Mountain. That group has roughly 700 members, with more joining daily.
“Kate and I had both started the rocks in Houlton around the same time and joined efforts when we became aware of each other,” Drake said. “My daughter Bailey wanted to get this going up here after we visited New Jersey this summer and found a rock from their local group. We then painted and hid rocks and got to see pictures posted of people finding our rocks and the excitement it brought them. Overall the group is to promote kindness, art, family time and exploring our beautiful community.”
“I never dreamed it would explode as big as it has,” added Mountain. “It is a great way for families and all to get out and explore our beautiful towns. With all the hate and bad in this world sometimes a simple painted rock can brighten someone’s day. We want to spread our happy as far as we can reach.”
When the group first started, it was mainly the Drakes and Mountains painting rocks with their children. Since then, however, it has grown dramatically with others getting in on the painting and coming up with elaborate designs.
“I think kids and adults enjoy it because you get to create and see the joy it brings other people. It makes also a ton of fun to go out and search,” Drake said.
Responses from both communities have been overwhelming.
Adilee Smallwood, 4, of Houlton found this tiny “Minion” rock while out walking with her mother Jadian on Elm Street in Houlton. Painted rocks are being hidden throughout southern Aroostook County as part of a new craze aimed at getting people outside.
(Contributed photo)
“This group of rock artists are so very talented and thoughtful,” said Beth Somers, a member of the Katahdin group. “Our Katahdin boys varsity soccer team recently had breakfast at Debs Deli before their first scrimmage and a couple of members of (Katahdin Rocks) knew they would be there and painted some very special rocks that were hidden for someone to find. I found one of them and was so excited being the mom of one of the players, I am definitely not parting with this one. In a day and age where there is so much negativity in the world, it is nice to find these little treasures that bring smiles to so many faces.”
“I think it’s great for the kids as they get to put their art on rocks to show everyone,” added Gabby Lewin. “Then they get to hide it. My step son enjoys hiding them and finding them.”
“It gets kids and adults out from under the electronic devices, promotes creativity, community involvement, exercise, and good will to all,” said Tammy Grant Hartin.
“The part I like about rock hunting is it makes me happy and it’s fun for all ages,” said Michelle Carson Parsons. “And some of the people are beautiful artists.”
Patten Town Manager Raymond Foss shows off some of the rocks found in the Patten area as part of the “Katahdin Rocks” group.
(Joseph Cyr)
“I absolutely love that it gets people to go out there and walk,” said Kira Lakin Schools of the Houlton group. “It brings families together and they have something to look forward to. You get to see how creative the kids and adults can get with painting the rocks. I’m so glad this idea was brought to Houlton.”
Both groups post clues about the whereabouts of some of the harder to find rocks on their pages.
“Sometimes a rock is found by someone that doesn’t know about the game, or that doesn’t have Facebook, and that’s fine too,” Cochran said. “As long as it made them smile, that’s the important part.”
Theme rocks also have proven popular. Both groups are currently planning Halloween-themed rocks for the upcoming holiday.
“Anyone can paint the rocks and hide them,” Cochran said. “I think it caught on because it is fun for all ages, and if you have children, it’s something you can do together as a family. It’s like an all year long Easter Egg hunt.”
