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Walking around town -- on your way to the library, bank or in the park -- you may have spotted a brightly-colored rock on the ground. Did you pick it up or just pass it by? If you chose to investigate the thing that caught your eye, it might have been one of the hand-painted rocks from a member of the local #WilpoROCKS "rock group."
The city's rock group began in early April, after group founder, Marshae Jackson, moved to the area with her family from League City, Texas, -- south of Houston -- where rock painting groups are plentiful.
"Rock painting is huge -- and year-round -- where we'd just moved from, so I was absolutely expecting an area-wide, city-wide rocks group (in Williamsport)," Jackson said.
Seeing a need for such a group in the area, Jackson painted some rocks, hid them around town and created the Facebook group, "Williamsport, PA ROCKS #WilpoROCKS."
"I believe I used the 'Moms of Williamsport' group to spread the word," she said. "Once one person was added to the rocks group, they've added their friends, and so on."
After getting a slow start in the spring, she said the group really started to pick up steam in the summer months -- it now has more than 370 members and it continues to grow.
Anyone can and is welcome to participate in the #WilpoROCKS group. Typically, when a rock is discovered, a sticker or hashtag can be found on the back, indicating the name of the group it belongs to. The person who found the rock can then visit the Facebook page to tell the group where the rock was discovered and then hide it again for others to find.
"Once on the (Facebook) page, they'll see that people have painted that particular rock and are interested to see where it has been found," Jackson said. "They then start painting rocks themselves. Once they start painting rocks, they take a picture of the rock and possibly a hint of where it will be hidden. While hiding their own painted rocks, they'll re-hide the rock they've found."
The activity is more of a "pass it on" type of game than an "Easter egg hunt," where you don't keep the rocks you find -- you hide it again -- passing it on for someone else to find and also possibly creating your own to hide as well.
"I have found that kids enjoy finding the painted rocks, but the moms REALLY enjoy painting rocks and make their children look for rocks at parks, banks, hospitals," Jackson said. "It's really therapeutic to paint rocks … it really is! Some moms tend to paint rocks once the children are in bed, or while they're waiting for a child to finish band or sports practice."
Rocks can be hidden anywhere -- outside of businesses like banks, gas stations, grocery stores or restaurants … even in trees, Jackson said. Some businesses even have begun to participate, offering discounts for the person who found a rock, she added.
"Since people like to travel in the summer, people from other states have found painted rocks and re-hid them in their home state," Jackson said. "What a way to share a smile, right?"
Jackson said where she is from, almost every county had their own rocks group, which then grew to many cities creating their own group as well. Some of them even would organize a rock painting class, where members would meet to paint rocks together at a local park or restaurant, according to Jackson.
There are endless possibilities as to what can be painted or drawn on the rocks or how they can be decorated before they are hidden. Jackson said she would love to learn how to make a marble or tie-dyed rock. She also likes the quilt and inspirational rocks, too. Other types of rocks that have been painted, hidden and found include rainbows, lady bugs, baseballs, flowers, glitter, Minions, Pokemon balls, Cookie Monster, Spider Man … anything goes. But as the Facebook page warns -- nothing vulgar is permitted.
The page also asks that participants buy rocks from a craft store and not to take rocks from parks and businesses. Paint the rocks with acrylic paint and seal them with hodgepodge to protect your artwork. Then on the back, paint or write #WilpoROCKS so finders know where go to talk about the rock they have found.
"I love how families can become involved with the process from start to finish," Jackson said. "… it's a way for people to get out and about. Meet new people."
Jackson hopes for the group to become a year-round activity, like in the Houston area. "I know it snows here, so hiding them outside may not be an option. Maybe some businesses would allow them to be hidden inside? A rock scavenger hunt would be so cool during the cold months," she said.
So, next time you spot a colorful rock on your way to work or lunch, pick it up and join the fun of #WilpoROCKS!