Toms River Rocks! Project Aims To Inspire Creativity, Encourage Fun

TOMS RIVER, NJ — If you're walking around Toms River, you may have seen them here or there. Maybe it's a flag. Maybe you see a minion. Or a flower. Some even have words to inspire you.

They are painted rocks, and a group of Ocean County folks are trying to spread the awareness not only of the project but expand its participation.

Robyn Albanese of Toms River is spearheading the project, called Toms River Rocks! and said she was inspired by a similar project in Hamilton Township and others across the country. In some areas they're called "kindness rocks," because the painted stones carry inspirational messages meant to lift others' spirits.

The Toms River Rocks! group is comprised of people who paint the rocks and then hide them for others to find in something similar to a scavenger hunt. Painters post photos of the rocks they've decorated on the group's Facebook page, then provide hints after they've hidden them. And though the group is called Toms River Rocks! group members have hidden rocks in surrounding towns.

"It's been a fun thing," Albanese said. "Now that we finally have nicer weather people are more excited about it."

It is free to join the group, and participants supply their own materials, including the rocks that they paint. Albanese, who is a teacher at Toms River North, said she has involved other groups in painting rocks, including at the Toms River Senior Center and at the Jersey Shore Makerfest at the Pine Belt Arena last fall.

"We painted 400 rocks at Makerfest and they all went out into the community," she said. Though she has done rock-painting projects with students, Toms River Rocks! is not affiliated with the school district, she said.

"Our main objective is to remind everyone how great it is to live in a diverse community of friendly, talented, and creative residents," Albanese says on the group's Facebook page. "We will do this by painting, hiding, and finding artistic creations that will not only beautify the Township of Toms River, but also encourage community involvement and camaraderie. With each new brightly colored rock, we are reminded that #TomsRiverRocks!"

It's a way to encourage people to get outside, she said, and also to interact. While the group has seen a surge in membership, Albanese said she's hoping to spread its awareness further and engage Toms River's businesses in the project by painting incentive rocks.

"They can be whatever the business wants," she said, whether it's something where the finder brings the rock in for a discount or a special gift. The idea, she said, is to bring more attention to the participating business.

"It's free advertising," Albanese said.

But most of all, it's a hobby that brings her joy.

"It (painting the rocks) is relaxing for me," she said, and she enjoys seeing the posts of rocks that have been painted and hidden and of rocks that have been found. She suggests using acrylic paint and sealing the rocks with varnish or clear craft sealer to protect the paint and tagging them on the back with the #TomsRiverRocks! tag.

There's only one rule she insists participants follow: "All I ask is that you actively post in this group so that we can all appreciate the magic of this project and inspire one another through creativity and kindness!"

For more information on the project, check out the Facebook page (click here). If you're a business owner who's interested in the "incentive rocks" idea and need help, you can contact Albanese at robynalbanese@gmail.com.

Photos via Toms River Rocks! Facebook page, used with permission