Hey, Camp Folks!
During these cold, dark winter months of northern Wisconsin, it’s easy to get a little crazy about light. We throw them up all over our yards, the outside of our houses, and in darker corners and pockets indoors. Common at light shows, concerts, and plenty of other festivals, you’ll start seeing Glow Sticks as nighttime sets in. They’ve been around for decades, but originally weren’t used in celebratory fashion. They were military equipment.
It’s easy to see why Glow Stick technology was initially researched and developed for military use. The government contracted a chemist named Edwin Chandross in the 1960’s to investigate the process of chemicals that could emit powerful light without generating heat called ‘chemiluminescence’.
Glow Sticks need no batteries. They’re cheap. They have a long shelf life. They’re easy to dispose of. They can tolerate high pressures. They’re waterproof and weatherproof. And, in the right conditions, you can see one from a mile away. They’re also non-flammable and non-sparking, making them the only source of light safe to use in a disaster area immediately following the event. They’re used on a daily basis as markers for parachuters, landing zones, targets, as well as emergency lights.
At the same time that these new inventions were being used in their practical functionality, Glow Sticks emerged in a completely separate and surprising application. People found the aesthetics of the light from Glow Sticks had a certain appeal in a party and festival sort of setting.
Glow Sticks debuted on the music scene in 1971 at the Yale Ball in New Haven, Connecticut when a concert-goer and his friend visited the factory where his father worked assembling Glow Sticks. They filled their backpacks full of these cool lights and hauled them to the concert that night.
Within the first few songs of the show, the boys had started cracking open the Glow Sticks and handing them out to the crowd. No one had ever seen anything like it before. The awesome lights in the dark night brought the music to a stop and the whole show to a standstill. People were spellbound!
Glow Sticks remain an important part of military gear, but are certainly prevalent in places like clubs, parties, and festivals…even summer camp! Show your true colors in the Color War with a Glow Stick that never stops and get our LED Mini Glowstick from Nite Ize. We also offer the Nite Ize NiteHowl LED Necklace for hands-free lighting. Check out these and other lighting options from Nite Ize by clicking here. Thanks for reading, Camp Fans. And, as always, Happy Camping!
- John