Kindness 'Rocks' in New Rockford

For almost a year, a unique scavenger hunt has been bringing joy to the community of New Rockford.

Facilitated by the New Rockford Eagles Auxiliary, "Kindness Rocks" is an activity designed to bring happiness and joy to residents and especially local youth, and here's how it works.

Dozens of unique and colorfully-painted rocks have been hidden throughout New Rockford since October of last year, and residents or visitors in town are encouraged to seek them out and document their discovery.

Once they've found a painted rock, folks are encouraged to post a picture of themselves and the rock they found to the "NR Eagles Auxiliary Rocks" Facebook page, and many residents and visitors have already been participating in the year-round activity.

Marilyn Anderson, a past president for the local Eagles Auxiliary, said the purpose of the scavenger hunt is simply to provide another fun activity here in town, and she's been happy with how much participation she's already seen.

Anderson said she first saw Kindness Rocks in Dickinson, N.D., and decided to bring it to New Rockford upon seeing its success in another North Dakota city.

Many of the rocks have been painted by members of Safe Harbor – Stand for the Silent, a local anti-bullying group for adolescents. Others have been painted by a local artist by the name of Robert Lucy.

Lucy's painted rocks are particularly notable, with detailed and impressive illustrations as unique as the rocks they're painted on. He's painted dozens of rocks already and intends to continue doing so long into the future.

However, Anderson said anyone and everyone is welcome to participate in the rock painting. Simply take the time to paint a rock, place a label telling whoever finds it to post a photo to Facebook, and then hide it somewhere in town.

When a rock is found, the finder can either keep the rock or they can re-hide it somewhere in town so that someone else can find it one day.

It's essentially a community run and operated activity, and will be sustained for as long as local residents wish to keep it going.

Many residents and local youth have already taken part, as evident by the photos of smiling faces on their Facebook page, so be sure to take the whole family around town this summer and go on a quest for some of the painted rocks hiding right here in New Rockford.