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The ninth annual Stone Stash will be held in Ely on Friday Oct. 18 starting at 9 a.m.
Joe Baltich has held this event over the past nine years and this year he is expanding the event to a second day and a second location in Two Harbors on Saturday.
“I will be announcing where the stones are at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday on Facebook at Joe Baltich Art,” said Baltich. “Then it’s off to the races.”
There will be around 200 stones to find with over 125 painted by Baltich, 60 by Mary Ellen Lien and 40 from Connie Edwards.
“They both do beautiful work,” said Baltich.
The rocks are hidden in public places and if you see people walking around staring at the ground looking like zombies, they’re probably participating in the Stone Stash.
“We’ve had hundreds of people participating in this event. We’ve had people coming from Chicago. They come in and rent a place, stay overnight and go out for dinner,” said Baltich. “A lot of families do this because it’s MEA weekend.”
The Stone Stash is a family event with simple rules.
“The rules are simple. The possession limit is one per person then it’s catch and release on all the rest. Trading is fine,” said Baltich.
There is also a “golden moose” rock that gets the finder a Joe Baltich print worth $30.
“The whole thing is sponsored by my non-profit Into The Brush. This is part of the mission of promoting the Stone Stash to inspire people to do more with painting.”
Baltich said he hopes people from Ely go to Two Harbors on Saturday to participate in that Stone Stash, joining the north and south halves of Lake County.
