Making A Light Up Staff

When I did the Krawl, I loved that some of the people had actual candles in torchiere-style holders. And while nothing can replace the ambiance of a real-flame candle, the practicalities of juggling a lit candle with hanging costume components, including extremely flammable faux furs, plus reduced visibility, seems a bit much to handle. Also, real candles tend to go out and then there you are, left scrambling for a match. Lighting is part of it, however---we are driving the dark out, after all. Battery operated candles fill this gap nicely, as do battery strings of lights. I happened to have an LED battery lit "branch" so I put that to work on a kind of staff that would also function as a beacon during the lauf.

The battery-operated branch +

A sturdy hiking stick +

Matte brown packing tape---I get this at Uhaul, but you could probably find it at UPS stores or a Staples and the like. It holds things relatively firmly, but is not too hard to remove. If you can't find this, lots of floral tape will probably also work.

Using the packing tape, firmly secure the lighting to the staff. Be sure to leave an opening for the on/off switch on the battery pack. I turned mine upside down and let the switch stick out the bottom of the tape job.

Now you can cover the taped areas with moss, leaves, fabric, sticks, whathave you, and arrange it so it is aesthetically pleasing (thanks to my brother-in-law who helped with this part). Waaaalaaa!

There are lots of options for lighting like this---one can simply carry a lantern with an LED candle in it. Not everyone needs to have lighting, though, so feel no pressure here. At least a couple of us will, and that will be sufficient.