Evangeline Parish Rocks!

Don’t throw rocks — just paint ‘em, place ‘em, find ‘em, relocate ‘em and spread a some joy around the parish.
That’s the message being thrown around when it comes to Evangeline Parish Rocks.
Evangeline Parish Rocks Founder Pam Ardoin Godeau said, “It’s all about putting a smile on someone’s face.”
Godeau started the Evangeline Parish Rocks Facebook page on July 30, 2016.
The inspirational movement goes like this: find a rock and paint it with a person, place, thing or idea that moves you like a happy image, a butterfly perhaps, a favorite saying or even something related to the parish or state’s history.
A scroll down the group’s Facebook page shows rocks decorated with messages like “Keep Believing,” “Police Lives Matter” or simply “God.” Other rocks are painted like animals, a Minion from the movie “Despicable Me,” and a Nintendo remote control.
Next, snap a picture of the rock or rocks and post it on the group’s page and place the decorated rock somewhere in the parish like the local post office, the dentist office, a church or a restaurant. If you are lucky enough to find a rock, take a picture of it, post it and then relocate the rock to another spot in the parish. Think Pokemon Go for the Flintstones.
“Just keep it (the images and messages) clean,” Godeau said. “(Paint something) Good, clean (or) fun — anything to inspire someone else.”
As of Friday, the Evangeline Parish Rocks group had well over 3,000 members, and rocks have turned up in Ville Platte, Basile, Pine Prairie, Bayou Chicot and Mamou. The movement is also going on in several other parishes around the state.
Godeau estmimated that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of decorated rocks circulating in the parish.
Godeau said she first learned of the phenomenon on Facebook, where it was shown going on in another parish.
“I thought ‘Wow, what a great thing to get started in our parish,’” she said. “I never dreamed it would spread throughout the parish like this.”
Godeau said she decided to get the movement going in the parish after growing tired of bad news on television and social media.
Godeau painted a bible verse on her first rock, and she placed it at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Pine Prairie.
Godeau said people from small children to senior citizens are taking part in the movement in the parish.
“It’s good way to spend time with children from the painting to hiding and relocating the rocks,” she said.
Godeau added, “I think it has already brought the community together young and old.”
Godeau said that even though her children are grown, they are very excited about the movement.
One of the many photos on the group’s Facebook page shows Ava Richard, Seth Gautreaux and Brandy Gautreaux of Pine Prairie painting rocks at a picnic table while on a camping trip.
Evangeline Parish Rocks member and Miss Ville Platte Lynee West has painted several rocks, and she placed them around the parish on Tuesday. She has been an Evangeline Parish Rocks group member since the day the Facebook group was started.
Her rocks feature art with ties to the Smoked Meat Festival, the Cotton Festival and a squirrel that says “Simon says keep Evangeline Parish clean.”
“My personal rocks are all Ville Platte/queen related, because as Miss Ville Platte, I felt it would be a great way to teach the kids a little about the city while having fun,” West said. “To me, the joy it brings the kids when they find the rocks is rewarding enough to keep this movement going.”
West got into the movement when she found a rock at Deville’s Grocery in Pine Prairie.
“It was a rather big rock with the word Jesus written on it,” she said. “I loved the idea of this parish wide scavenger hunt, so I took it home and later relocated it. I loved the idea of not only the kids being involved in finding these rocks, but that whole families were spending time together painting, finding, and relocating the rocks.”