CALEB NICKERSON

CAMPBELL’S BAY April 1, 2020

A family in Campbell’s Bay has been trying to raise spirits and beautify their community during the pandemic by creating a kind of scavenger hunt.

Chanelle Shea and her two youngsters, Maple and Oakley, have been decorating stones to leave in various locations on their walks around the community.

“My daughter and I we saw it on social media from another town,” Chanelle said. “You paint them however you want and then you hide them around town. [We] encourage other people to do the same thing, and then I ask that people take pictures with the rocks that they find so that kids can go, ‘Oh someone found my rock, how exciting.’ … That’s basically all it is, you paint the rocks, you hide them and you go out and find other people’s.”

Chanelle said that since they started almost two weeks ago, more families have joined in and are participating in Shawville and Mansfield as well.

“At least a dozen families [have gotten] involved in the interim,” she said. “On my street alone there’s four people that have done it. It’s kind of cool.”

She added that one of her neighbours is painting rocks specifically for different landmarks around town, like the fire hall or municipal office.

Chanelle said that their next community activity is to place teddy bears in their windows, so that neighbourhood walks with their children become “bear hunts.”

“That’s the next thing on the agenda. I just posted it today so we’ll see if it takes off or not,” she said. “We’re just trying to keep busy, that’s all. But it’s pretty special to see a community come together especially in such a scary time.”

She said that while keeping her young children entertained has been a challenge, the top priority is that everyone stays safe and calm.

“It can be tiresome, but we’re lucky to be home and not stuck in other countries or in the hospital,” she said. “We know we’re not alone which is nice.”