Times have been a bit rocky lately. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought immense amounts of anxiety and uncertainty. However, the current circumstances haven’t stopped the community from doing something uplifting. Cannon Falls has decided to take after other Minnesota towns’ and has turned towards rock painting. Yet this story, from Bonnie Austin’s and Katilynn Borchardt’s perspective, isn’t the run-of-the-mill “COVID-19 positivity” story. Once Cannon Valley begins welcoming the unexpected without expectations, things will stay a little brighter far beyond the current health crisis. 

After gaining inspiration from a good friend in Rosemount, Minnesota, Bonnie Austin, a married mom of two boys (Lane (five) and Owen (two)), teacher, yoga instructor, and runner, started the “Cannon Valley Rocks” Facebook Group on March 21 without projecting a particular outcome. “I run on the trails all the time and this is really a hard time. I thought this would be such a fun way to bring some color into peoples’ lives,” Austin asserted. Many loved the idea, hopping on the rock painting bandwagon by decorating stones of their own in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Social media has blown up with pictures of the rocks seen around town. Currently, the group has 346 members and continues growing everyday. But Austin maintains she can’t take all the credit; the community has made this positive project their own. 

One person who pursued the project was Katilynn Borchardt, who works at Cannon Emergency Care, a service which has been a rock for teaching staff and medical personnel. She heard talk about the rocks around town among her class of second-fifth graders and decided the project would be a perfect way to brighten up their day. “The whole time, they were smiling and laughing and having so much fun with it,” Borchardt remarked. When they were all finished, the rocks were beautifully lined up in front of the Cannon Falls Elementary school. The seemingly simple activity was quite a hit. Even in this time of uncertainty, Borchardt believes that if the community can unite behind something positive, anything is possible.

As for Austin, she’s just excited to see where else she can spot some rocks—painted by people like those in Borchardt’s class—even if they’ve been moved, chipped, or broken. Whether the rocks are placed today, tomorrow, next week, or even next year, she reiterated the point of this collective effort: “If we’re going to choose to do something kind and paint a rock and put it out in nature, that’s it. Don’t have any expectations from it. You should just be kind to be kind.” So if the Cannon Valley community continues to show kindness, in uncertain and certain times, this small town of 4,000 people and the areas nearby will truly be rockin.