Unlike those who carve walking sticks or canes, Vernon Errington of New Hebron finds gnarled, unique pieces of wood in the woods surrounding his home and converts them to walking sticks. Most of them come from small tree trunks that have been twisted and deformed by honeysuckle vines that grow and wrap around them.

Errington has been creating his sticks for over twenty years. When he finds a suitable tree or piece of wood, he uses a bleach solution to strip off the bark. His handles are made from a variety of materials. In most cases, they’re made from the same piece of wood or a similar gnarled piece, but he has also used a number of different items, including pool balls, goat horns, and others as handles. Sometimes he finds shapes within the wood that remind him of animals, and he adds small eyes or other finishes to the stick.

Errington does not sell his walking sticks but has given some away to relatives and friends. He has presented his work locally at craft fairs and demonstrations in Lawrence County.