“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.” 

From curating a stick-themed playlist for the DJ to arranging an assortment of stick-themed refreshments, Stick Party was thoroughly committed to the concept Heichman envisioned. Partygoers were also encouraged to draw themselves as a stick figure, and if they ventured into the house, they could see a wall of stick-related mantras. 

At the heart of Stick Party lies a strict BYOS, “bring your own stick,“ policy. Attendees went to great lengths in creatively interpreting this theme, bringing buckets of KFC drumsticks, a rib stick, a gear stick, a sheet metal spring stick, ChapStick, signable selfie sticks, magic wands, a tribe of Survivor club torches and even an aboriginal Australian didgeridoo making an appearance. 

A handful of guests with the most impressive contributions were given sticky notes that labeled them as “stick finalists.”

One such guest was Ryan Weingarden, a graduate student studying marketing research and analytics. Weingarden decided to ask for assistance from his advanced AI analytics class to find a suitable stick and ended up learning about a cultural tradition that he was previously unfamiliar with. He received a bedazzled stick crafted for a traditional Chaldean khigga dance. 

“This guy who was sitting next to me, his brother got married to somebody who was Chaldean, and they had this khigga stick for their wedding. So I thought it was really cool,” Weingarden said. 

While there were many like Weingarden who were aiming for inventiveness, some took the more natural route by bringing literal sticks. Kinesiology sophomore Nikki Christie brought a Goliath-sized stick that she had been saving for this occasion.

“I found this wall while I was playing pickleball with my friends. It's literally been in my car for almost three weeks,” said Christie.

Though the second stick party was cut short due to unforeseen infrastructure issues, the message that it sends still remains clear.

“I think Stick Party serves as a reminder that with so many terrible things going on in the world, we need to celebrate the little things that are all around us, and it's a reminder that we need to stick together,” Heichman said.