Painted Rocks Spread Cheer Throughout Marshfield

Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) Marshfield residents are spreading positivity and creating smiles by hiding colorfully painted rocks for the enjoyment of passersby.

Rock finds are often shared on the Facebook group Marshfield ROCKS, which boasts over 880 members, and then hidden again in another location at local parks and walkways to keep the joy alive.

“I saw this last year and it looked like a fun family thing to get involved in,” said group member Dana Tritz. “It was just this month, after seeing people start posting their rocks and all the happy kiddos finding them that I decided to join the fun, especially during these times when people are down with the news lately.”

Tritz began painting and hiding rocks with her 13-year-old son, Gunnar, at various places around Marshfield. During walks, they hide them at the Wenzel Family Plaza, Marshfield Outdoor Learning Sanctuary, Veterans Park, and by the library.

“There’s tons of places to hide them,” she said. “It was fun to find others, also.”

By posting a photo of finds on the Facebook page, kids and adults alike can have the thrill of discovering where their rocks have traveled and who they’ve touched. Rocks that are taken home become a positive note or fun reminder that life is what you make of it, Tritz said.

Rock painting has become a special hobby. “I even have some paint markers in order to paint some more fun ones,” she said. “The only struggle for me is finding the right shape and smoothness of rocks!”

Rock painter Ariel Kollmansberger helped the residents of a group home she works at in Marshfield to create their own fun designs and special messages.

“They had such a good time browsing online to find inspiration for the rocks. They picked the ones they liked most and I helped paint them,” she said.

Kollmansberger likes to paint rocks for fun as well. “I got into rock painting because I found a painted rock on a bench in veterans park and it said Namaste,” she said. “I took that as a sign because I’m a yogi.”

She hints that those who walk along Veterans Park to Steven J. Miller Recreation Area may find a few of her creations along the way.