Ansley Woodall (left) and Harmony Moyers found one of the original rocks at the Dixie Youth Baseball field in East Tallassee

Rocking Tallassee

By Leigh Anne Butler

If you are out and about in Tallassee, you might be one of the lucky ones who find a painted rock tucked away in many public areas like the Riverwalk or City Hall.  If you find one, the idea is to keep it for yourself or relocate it for someone else to enjoy.

A painted-rock craze is spreading through communities all over the United States, and recently has made its way to Tallassee.  This quirky, unplugged trend is about finding and spreading happiness in the simplest of things – a rock. 

Tallassee residents are encouraged to participate in the painted-rock movement.  The premise is simple: gather a few rocks, decorate your rocks – get as creative as you like, and then place them in public places around town for others to find and enjoy.

Amy Hicks, a former Tallassee resident, recently moved to Niceville, Fla. where their community has a large painted-rock movement taking place.  On a recent visit to Tallassee, Hicks’ daughter and several friends started the Tallassee trend by painting rocks and hiding them around Tallassee.  Hicks started a Facebook page, Tallasseerocks, where people can post pictures of rocks they’ve found or rocks they’ve made and plan to hide.

“After leaving work one day, I looked down on the ground and in a patch of grass there was a small rock with a cute ladybug painted on it,” explains Hicks.  “Finding this rock made me smile and I thought what a great idea for connecting the community.  I told my daughter, Emily and her friends Georgia and Mason about the rock.  We thought it would be fun to start something like this in Tallassee.  The girls came up with name Tallassee Rocks and recruited Emily’s older sister, Lindsey to do all the writing on the back of the rocks, since she has such a pretty handwriting.  The girls stayed up all night painting the rocks and really enjoyed hiding them around Tallassee the next day.”

Tamara Jones posted this photograph of Aiden Morgan and a rock he found at the Riverwalk

Leah Burnham, who works at Tallassee City Hall, states, “We found about five, but it was a collaborative affair.  I found two and my co-workers Wendy and Barbara found the others.  I have them on my desk.  It was special that they thought so much about the city to leave five around City Hall.  Everyone comments on how pretty they are.”

The rocks are decorated using a variety of mediums such as acrylic paint and markers and then sealed with a sealant like Mod Podge.  On the back of the rocks, there are instructions to “Keep or hide again and please post a pic on Facebook at Tallasseerocks.”  On the Tallasseerocks Facebook page, there are instruction and ideas on how to paint rocks if you are interested in participating.

Spending time being creative, giving back to others, spending time in nature or outdoors and the good-ole appeal of a treasure hunt are just a few of the benefits of participating in the Tallassee painted-rock movement.  Have fun, get painting and keep rocking!

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