North Idaho rocks

BONNERS FERRY — How can something as simple as a rock bring together a community, young and old, families and artists? How can a chunk of the earth, worn over the years and centuries into unique shapes and sizes, pull people away from their mobile devices, televisions, and video games, and bring them outside, walking or running in the sunshine? How can the very thing that we step over and on every day make a person smile and bring them joy?

The painted rock craze has taken the country by storm, passing from one community to the next. Tana Kay Amaral was inspired to start the Facebook page, North Idaho Rocks, including both Boundary and Bonner County, last November after seeing the Lewiston/Clarkston page called LC Valley Rocks.

It was a slow start. Amaral attributed to it being winter, but she didn’t give up hope.

“I stayed positive and continued to paint and hide rocks and tell every person in town I came in contact with about it and shared the group on local pages,” she said.

When spring rolled around and somebody posted on a popular local Facebook page, Amaral’s page exploded. They currently have over 1500 members.

The concept is simple: find a rock; paint the rock; hide the rock. If you find a painted rock, take a picture and share on the Facebook page. Then choose to rehide the painted rock, keep it, or replace it with a painted rock of your own.

“I am new to the painting of rocks,” said Shannon Mcnutt, “but my grandson Silas and I have so much fun together walking around town looking for and hiding painted rocks. We recently painted several rocks together and the excitement he showed while we were doing it was so amazing. I am building memories with him that I hope will be etched in his memory to last him a lifetime.”

The rocks can be painted in an unimaginable amount of styles, from the very simple to highly ornate. They can have messages on them, such as love, hope, or peace. Some look like ladybugs, elephants, and even pickles. “They get to create and display their own unique ideas and styles via art whether it is anonymously or they post a pic of their creation before they hide it,” said Amaral.

Jessica Kellar paints rocks with her three sons, who ask her daily if they can paint. “I love that they are inspired to be artistic and be out and actively working together to find hidden rocks,” she explained. “They are building their character by helping one another, as well as remaining optimistic the next rock find is just around the corner.”

All ages seem to enjoy the painted rocks, as evidenced by the residents of the Boundary Community Hospital Extended Care Facility. “Most of our residents don’t go outside much, but when employees find rocks, we show them,” said Boundary Community Hospital Marketing and Community Relations Lauren Kuczka. “We love finding them and then rehiding them.”

“It gets a lot of people involved in a positive way,” said Dora Vandenberg. “I like everything about it ... painting, hiding, finding. And I get all giddy when I find a painted rock. One day I was hiding rocks around Naples store, there was one lady doing the same thing with two boys. Although I don’t who she was, we greeting each other with a good morning and ‘out rock hunting’ and we both smiled. This bring the good out in lot of people.”

Thea Nunneley also noticed how something as simple as rocks brings the community together.

“When I first started painting rocks we went to the park and three tables had people painting rocks,” she said. “A family, a mom with kids, and a group of older women. We loved it!”

To encourage and reward new membership, Amaral created a special rock when the North Idaho Rocks Facebook page membership reached 1,000. Local businesses donated to a prize basket for the person that could locate it. Amaral’s husband, Bullet Amaral, found a great location and the only clue was that it was located between the Kootenai Casino and the Boundary County Fairgrounds.

“It was two full weeks before it was found,” said Amaral. “Think of all the exercise people got while they were out looking for it! I think the prize rock had the best hiding spot so far.”

Amaral is already working on the prize rock for when the membership reaches 2000, as the numbers continue to increase.

These works of art are like ripples in a pond. They spread, showing up in many different states, taking a piece of North Idaho with them. They are even being found as far away as Ireland, but it is not about the rocks themselves. They have inspired a community to find their inner artist, inspired people of all ages to take the time to be outside, to enjoy the wonders of the world.

“It’s a great way of knowing you made someone’s day, giving them a little treasure and joy,” explained Cindy Sumpter. “We get to put a piece of us out there for someone to see and enjoy!”

For those not already caught up in the painted rock craze, the next time you are walking outside, look around. There just may be a work of art awaiting you.