In January 2025, Jared Heichman picked up a stick that led to an unlikely chain of events.  

Heichman was a psychology and human resources management and service senior at the time, and a Michigan State Survivor club production team member, trying to clear a path for a contestant. However, when he got a good look at the stick he was moving, Heichman concluded that he had gotten hold of something special.

“The even weight, the woodpecker engravings and just the overall endurance as a walking stick ... Immediately, I knew it would be a family heirloom,” Heichman said.

What started as a group merely sharing appreciation for the stick turned into an incentive to celebrate. Thus, leading to the birth of "Stick Party," a party that is themed solely around sticks.   

This year’s Stick Party took place April 18 and drew almost 200 attendees. 

Since Heichman graduated, the title of Stick Party host has been passed down to his cousin, supply chain management junior Adam Koonsvitsky. 

“Last year, I was invited to Stick Party. I dragged all my roommates there, and I was like, ‘We have to go,’” Koonsvitsky said. “And it turned out to be the best night ever, and we were like, ’We’re gonna keep this going.’ That's why we're gonna do another one next year.” 

Koonsvitsky and his roommates hosted the event at their house, which was filled to the brim with a crowd of stick enthusiasts. 

Two-time Stick Party attendee and psychology and criminal justice junior Avery Felhandler noticed the growth from last year's party purely by looking in the house.

“There's so many people here now. Last year, it was a little apartment, that's it, and now it's packed.“ Felhandler said. “But yeah, things went big. The stick party universe expanded.”