Juliet Franco and Skylar Knaub with a painted rock found as part of the Hillsborough Rocks initiative.
Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Sticks and stones may break bones, but rocks in Hillsborough are helping strengthen the community thanks to a local movement aimed at getting people outside and spreading positivity to anyone willing to pick up a rock.
Created on July 4, Hillsborough Rocks! is described by its founder Lauren Franco as a community-building project meant to “inspire creativity in all ages and energize people to explore the beautiful area we live in.”
“Essentially, it’s one big hide-and-seek game with painted rocks,” she said. “Ideally, this started as people putting positive messages and all sorts of other things on their rocks for people to find.”
Through the Hillsborough Rocks! group, people paint rocks and hide them somewhere throughout the township for people to find. Other individuals participating in the game then find those rocks and post pictures of themselves with the painted rocks on social media, using the hashtag #HillsboroughRocks. The rock is then either placed back where it was found, hidden in another location or simply kept by the person who found it, with the idea being that they would paint another rock to add to the game.
The premise for Hillsborough Rocks!, which has since garnered more than 500 members on its Facebook page, stems from similar efforts throughout the country. Franco she got the idea to bring the effort to Hillsborough after visiting a friend in Phillipsburg, Warren County, which has its own version called P-burg Rocks.
“We participated and it was just honestly the most genuine fun I’ve had with my friends and kids in years,” she said. “I just thought that was incredible and that my town was just too cool to not have this sort of thing going on.”
As hand painted rocks get placed throughout the township, Franco said she hoped that it would let the community’s children explore a little bit.
“My children, if they’re not outside, they’re basically glued to the tablet – I didn’t grow up that way. My parents kicked me out the door and said ‘go play’ and I didn’t come home until the streetlights came on,” she said. “The goal is to be able to enjoy the place where you live and really it’s a positive thing to get kids and adults alike out of the house and into the community.”
Hillsborough Rocks! has earned the support of the Hillsborough Township Police Department and the township’s various fire departments, with each creating their own painted rocks as well.
In addition, Franco said a number of local businesses have also gotten involved in the project, attaching special offers and prizes to their rocks. For example, the local Gymboree has painted 20 “Gumbo Rocks” that if they are brought back to their location, will result in a prize in exchange for the rock.
Since the start, the Belle Mead Co-op has sponsored the Hillsborough Rocks! effort. Through its support, the organization has donated a large number of rocks for participants to pick up and paint.
“Not only is this something that’s getting all of us out of the house and joining us together, but it could get residents interested in the businesses around town,” Franco said.
Looking past the summer months, Franco said she hopes to see Hillsborough Rocks! continue on, with potential for the school district and other organizations to get involved.
“In this day and age, with everything that goes on in the world, we need something positive that will make people happy and make people smile,” Franco said.
To learn more about Hillsborough Rocks! or to participate as a business, e-mail hillsborughrocksnj@gmail.com. The group will also be hosting a rock painting party on Sunday at Mission Cognition at 856 Highway 206, Building B Suite 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
