LAKE COUNTY >> It has a very detailed cheetah face painted on one of its sides and it had been sitting on a desk for almost two weeks at the Record-Bee. It’s a medium-sized rock, first dropped off on the corner of a window ledge of the building. But there was no sight of who or why this carefully decorated rock was placed on its little nook in an almost safe, yet daunting manner as if wanting to be seen, but not entirely. There was one clue, however, written in black on the other side of the rock: “Lake County Rocks!”
After passing by the cheetah-faced rock and its three-word clue days after days in the office, one Record-Bee reporter put the pieces together. It belonged to a chain of rocks purposely hidden across the county for others to find and re-hide. In fact, there are multiple Facebook pages dedicated to the movement including Lake County Rocks, Lake County Rox, and Spring Valley Clearlake Rocks.
There are rules to this artistic activity, all the same on each page. For those that want to start on the creative side, participants can choose a rock and paint it as he or she pleases. The rock should then be placed in a hiding spot for others to find. The rock can only be hidden in outdoor public areas. The last step is to upload on one of the Facebook pages a photograph of either the rock or the location of where the rock was hidden with a brief description that includes the name of the city or town. And for those itching to hunt down some of the local’s creations, they are simply asked to comment on the post of the rock they found, letting others know the rock is no longer hidden and available in its previous location. Then, it is one’s decision to either keep their finds or hide it once again. With its growing popularity, however, it seems rocks are mainly re-hidden and participants are doubling by the day.
“Just today we gained 100 members,” said Carol Anderson, creator of Lake County Rox. She has seen how the Facebook page grew with popularity almost overnight as many people from around her community in Kelseyville and across the lake submitted photos of rocks being found and hidden.
From Kelseyville to Upper Lake to Clearlake Oaks and around, rock hunting has come to a literal full circle.
“So many people have reached out to me, saying ‘Thank you, this has brought me and my kids closer together’ and essentially bringing the community together,” said Anderson.
Over 1,200 active members of the county have already participated in one form or the other. Participants have painted cartoon characters, motivational words, and phrases, and even Clear Lake adorned by a gradient sunset. Some places rocks have already been hidden and found in are by the Featherbed Railroad Bed and Breakfast in Nice, an animal painted rock near the Animal Hospital of Lake County in Clearlake, and a “whale of a surprize” at a Tutti Frutti yogurt shop in Lakeport.
But this has not just been circling around Clear Lake. The movement has crossed larger bodies of waters. Communities as far east as Pickens County, Georgia have started their own Pickens County Rocks accounts, with over 10,000 members. One rock with the characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse painted on one side made its way to Disneyland in Anaheim from Port Angeles, Washington. A larger movement with similar find-and-hide aspects known as the Kindness Rocks Project has swept nations with inspirational messages painted on rocks by people all over the world. The Project has simply two rules: First, “inspire others.” Second, “recruit every people who stumble upon it to join the pursuit of inspiring others through small acts of kindness.”
Regardless of how small or large each rock movement is, they all stand behind one motive and that is to inspire each other and bring communities closer.
As for the Record-Bee, the cheetah-faced rock that once sat for days on the window ledge is now out hidden for the next person to find. Hidden in the heart of Lakeport, find the feline rock resting in one of the trees by the Historic Courthouse Museum.
