A group of citizens that is growing by the day is painting small rocks with various colors and inspirational words then placing them in areas of Cumberland County. Some rocks even have sports teams painted on them such as the Tennessee Vols or characters like Spongebob Squarepants. The group goes by “Crossville TN Rocks” on Facebook and takes pictures of the finished rocks with hints of where they are located. So far, the rocks have been located in parks, in front of businesses, the library in Crossville and various public places. As of this morning (Monday June 26, 2017), the group has nearly 3,000 members. The purpose of the activity is to spread cheer and positivity in Crossville and Cumberland County. Another purpose of the group is to inspire creativity in all ages while getting people to explore the area while hunting for the rocks.

Anyone can participate in the group. The only thing that the group requests is that on the back of the rock when its finished, put “ Facebook Crossville TN Rocks” on it that way others will know about the purpose of the group. Once you’re done painting the rock, its recommended to seal it before hiding it to protect your art from the elements.

The group requests pictures of your painted rocks to be placed on their Facebook site before you hide them, or when you find them, but you can participate anonymously if you prefer. If you find a painted rock from the group, you can either keep it or re-hide it for someone else to find. If you decide to keep a rock, you are encouraged to hide a new rock somewhere in its place (but this is optional). The goal is to get people all across the community painting so that there are lots of rocks to be found out there. You might find yourself rediscovering parts of the community you haven’t appreciated in a while.

The group asks participants to be careful where you hide your rocks so that they don’t cause any damage to property (i.e. Don’t hide in the grass where it can damage a lawn mower or hurt someone). Don’t steal rocks from private property or from someone’s landscaping and don’t trespass on private property.

For more information, search “Crossville TN rocks” on Facebook and join the group.