What started as a bland pile of rocks, unremarkable on their own, transformed over the course of a few hours Saturday.
As people went to work, the rocks became pieces of art.
A beach scene covered one, while another was turned into a slice of watermelon, the artist inspired by its triangular shape. Little round ladybugs and a red-and-white striped flip-flop joined the pile.
On the back of each one are the words "JC Rocks."
The painted rocks are the product of the third annual JC Rockfest, a rock painting event held by the group JC Rocks.
Charity Blair founded the group about four years ago, inspired by a similar group in her hometown.
"It just started with a couple of us - just painting rocks and putting them out," Blair said. "Then we put inspirational quotes on them and just things that if someone was walking by and they found a rock, it would make their day. It just grew into this."
The Facebook group is now more than 12,000 strong.
On Saturday, the event at Memorial Park drew some returning painters, such as Mike Heisler, John Otto, Colleen Finney, Missy Wilson, Tina Brondel and Janice Mccrory - members of the group's administration.
The group sat around a picnic table producing paintings of a wolf under the full moon, a spooky ghost and the head of a brown donkey.
"It's a cool way to use your imagination," Wilson said.
Painters add the Facebook symbol and "JC Rocks" on the back in the hopes those who find them will share them on the group's page.
"So people can go there and see where the rocks have traveled," Blair said. "So when someone finds it, they'll post it. It's like an Easter egg hunt but with rocks, all year round."
Kristy Manning brought her two sons, Clayton Manning-Treece, 7, and Ephram Manning-Treece, 3, to paint rocks. They had never been to the event before.
"I thought that it could be really fun," Manning said, after seeing the event listed in a program guide from the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.
With a paper plate of paint options, the two boys were quick to cover their large, hand-chosen rocks with splashes of abstract color.
After a while, Ephram decided one side of the rock wouldn't be enough, and he started on the back.
Manning painted a field of flowers complete with a Monarch butterfly as Clayton spread his favorite colors - bright shades of red, orange and yellow - on his rock.
Eventually, the boys picked out second rocks from the large table of options, and Clayton started painting a symbol from the Star Wars franchise.
Many of the colorful rocks will now be hidden out in the world, waiting for the right person to come along and notice something that isn't expected among the trees or along a biking path.
"It's just kind of putting some color out in the city and spreading some inspiration through rock art," Blair said. "We have old and young and all in between."