Prineville group shows spreading joy can be simple

A Prineville group is proving it doesn’t take a lot to spread joy. In fact, they’re doing it with something you find in the dirt.

Terry Ortloff started decorating and hiding rocks around Prineville with one goal.

“It’s all about the person finding it and the person smiling, and making someone’s day,” she said Friday.

Ortloff started the Facebook group Prineville Rocks in May, after seeing similar groups elsewhere.

“I didn’t get much of a response for about a month,” Ortloff said, “so I was about ready to give up, and I posted that ‘I’m going to close it down.’ And (then) it just absolutely exploded.”

The group went from eight members to more than 1,200, and the rocks are now going international. One even has made its way to the Netherlands.

When you find a rock, you can do one of two things: You can keep it, or you can re-hide it for someone else to discover.

“You don’t want to make it too obvious,” Ortloff said as she scouted a hiding spot, “but you don’t want to make it difficult for kids to find.”

And this simple game is teaching kids valuable lessons.

“The thought of sharing and letting other people find and smile, rather than, ‘Oh it’s mine,'” Ortloff said.

Ortloff estimates there are about 50 rocks hidden right now, and since people re-hide them, they aren’t all in the Prineville area. You can ask the group for clues if you’re stumped. They also offer monthly painting parties to get people in on the action. Their Facebook page is at the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/341672492915553/

And it’s not just Prineville — colorful, hidden rocks with messages have been found in the area of Bend’s Sawyer Park. One of them indicates a group called West Coast Painted Rocks is behind it.

In fact, colorfully painted rocks are being found all over Oregon, including Salem, Bandon and Coos Bay.