Posted on 10/29/2006 6:23:15 AM PST by UB355
KAREN RIVEDAL and RON SEELY October 28, 2006
It almost couldn't have gone any better.
Except for two brief disturbances - in which small crowds of hostile attendees briefly chanted and taunted police - Saturday's Halloween celebration, known this year as "Freakfest on State Street," was overwhelmingly tame.
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By 2:05 a.m. post-daylight saving time on Sunday, State Street was clear of Halloween revelers, and police didn't need to use riot gear or pepper spray to do it. Soon after the staged event was over, and again when the bars closed an hour or so later, people for the most part simply left.
Major intersections were open and street cleaners got to work right away on the empty sidewalks, readying the area for the resumption of business later this morning.
"I'm very pleasantly surprised," said Ald. Mike Verveer, who was on State Street around 2 a.m. "This worked unbelievably well. I am so grateful and so relieved."
Madison officials, increasingly embarrassed by the growing lawlessness and over-consumption that has marred Halloween celebrations for the past several years, rolled out a new plan this year that they hoped would change things.
They charged $5 admission and fenced in State Street, while adding a food court and entertainment stages for live bands in two locations.
Perhaps most key, the gated entrances along State Street allowed people's bags to be searched prior to admittance, reducing the amount of smuggled alcohol and the resultant public drunkenness, police said.
"We definitely fired on all cylinders," said Joel Plant, the city's alcohol policy coordinator. "We re-branded Halloween. And it was a community effort - it wasn't just the city. I'm very happy."
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz set three goals for this year's celebration, and all three appear to have been met, he said in a statement early Sunday. There was no pepper spray, there was less over-consumption and the city made some money - about $150,000 through the estimated 32,000 tickets sold.
"We took a chance with the new ticketing system, and it clearly played a role in helping the event conclude peacefully," Cieslewicz said.
There were also noticeably fewer people on State Street, with no significant displacement of the party to the student neighborhoods as some had feared, police said. And officers issued far fewer tickets.
By 2 a.m. Sunday, there had been 143 arrests from Saturday through Sunday at 2 a.m., down from 334 over the same period last year. The two-day total since a warm-up celebration Friday night, was 230, less than half of last year's 566.
Police estimated the crowd at its height this year at about 35,000 people.
Officers responded calmly to the two disturbances - both of them in the 500 block of State Street - quickly arresting one disruptive man but mostly just waiting for tensions to subside and then gradually moving the few hundred remaining people out of the street and onto the sidewalk.
Police on horseback then rode into the block and stayed there until most people drifted away as the line of officers moved gradually toward them.
Police didn't rush out the mass of peaceful partygoers, either. The event's scheduled end time was 1:30 a.m., although recorded music continued playing for about 15 to 20 minutes.
The first announcements over the public address system asking people to leave didn't happen until about an hour later, though many had already left by then.
One officer suffered a broken wrist and was treated at the hospital and released, police said. The injury occurred when an officer tripped while chasing a suspect in a battery near Spring Street.
There were hints throughout the night that the event might end well, with the crowd never building to the maximum 80,000 attendees.
For most of the night it was still possible to walk comfortably on State Street without getting poked by pitchfork-wielding devils or whacked by the sticks of the guys dressed as the Duke University lacrosse team.
Two police officers on horseback were able to ride side-by-side down State Street with no problem.
"It feels really good out there," said Mayor Dave Cieslewicz shortly after midnight after a stroll on State and Langdon streets.
"The crowd is in a really good mood," he said. "There seems to be much less inebriation than in previous years. In past years by this time there would have been more shoving going on at this hour and more fights breaking out. I saw none of that."
It was all adding up to an enjoyable night - if you don't mind shaking hands with a dead guy who offers you his bloody stump or being overshadowed by a 12-foot-tall Grim Reaper.
Even the weather cooperated. It was a perfect Halloweenish kind of night, brisk and clear with starry skies and a quarter moon riding high.
There were a few grumbles from partygoers about the fences and the tickets. But many said they would be happy with the new setup if it prevented the riots that have marred previous Halloween celebrations.
Ticket sales picked up as the evening progressed. As late as 11:30, people were still standing in long but fairly quick-moving lines at the ticket booths and entrances.
The evening was quiet enough that, in the hour or so before the barriers went up and tickets were required, a number of families with children in costume walked the street.
David Peterson of Madison said he has been to the Halloween party every year since 1976. This year he came with his 4-year-old daughter, who was dressed as a unicorn.
Jesse Holst, who has been attending the annual party since he was a UW-Madison freshman in 1998, said things seemed mellower Saturday.
"I think everyone just wants to see no trouble this year," said Holst, who was wearing camouflage plants and a referee's shirt. He said he was a civil war referee.
Business at restaurants and bars was brisk, even after the street was blocked off. From a second-floor window above the Potbelly Restaurant, a very serious Pope blessed the passing crowd below. Seats at windows were at a premium.
There were a few glitches. At the Lake Street end of State Street, the barrier blocking off the street also blocked the entrance to Walgreen's. The workers taking tickets were fending off several people who wanted to shop but didn't want to pay $5 to get onto State Street.
"I just want some milk and some cereal!" pleaded one would-be shopper.
Security guards allowed the young man to pass, free of charge.
State Journal reporter Danya Hooker and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In a way, it's sorta reasuring to see some things don't change. I went to a "party" on State St. in 1978; still have a hangover.
Uhhh, it's not yet Halloween. Y'all think the freaks'll stay home on Halloween?
I was there in 78' too. My hangover has gotten better recently.
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