NEWS
Larger than usual Halloween crowd anticipated
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Also by Andrea Spaetti:
- Train whistle ban successful (November 19, 2001)
- Bauman addresses safety issues (October 31, 2001)
- Larger than usual Halloween crowd anticipated (October 24, 2001)
- Madison Police Department receives award (October 10, 2001)
- Street chalkers take to State St. this weekend (October 3, 2001)
Related Stories:
- Police prepare for first of two Halloween weekends (October 25, 2002)
- Weekend sees halfhearted Halloween celebration (October 28, 2002)
- City, police discuss stricter Halloween plans (September 1, 2005)
- Bar owners debate Halloween policies (September 16, 2005)
- Halloween? State Street businesses clueless (October 7, 2002)
by Andrea Spaetti
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Madison city officials are expecting upwards of 100,000 people to flock to State Street Saturday night.
The combination of Halloween celebrations, UW-Madison Homecoming and the added extra hour at the bars due to daylight savings time will all make downtown Madison the place to be Saturday, and city police are preparing.
The Madison Halloween tradition has not seen this many people on State Street since the 1980s, when student government sponsorship and good weather pulled in an attendance of about 100,000 people.
In subsequent years, attendance tapered off due to bad weather and discontinued support from the student government. In 1986 the drinking age was raised to 21, hindering the ability of many college students to enjoy the celebration the way they always had.
But popularity has increased in the last couple of years.
“The large numbers on State Street caught the police department off guard last year,” said Madison Police Department Capt. George Silverwood.
This weekend the numbers will be even higher, because the Homecoming crowd, usually made up of alumni and parents, will be in Madison. They will also be joined by many of Michigan State’s football fans who will join the party on State Street for the Badger game Saturday afternoon. The game has sold out all of its 77,000 tickets.
Brent Jerome, a UW senior, said his house of already eight residents is housing about 20 guests from all over the Midwest over the weekend.
“We’re not sure where everyone’s going to stay,” Jerome said.
Crowds will have to be patient when getting around, city officials said, especially when heading for the bars.
“We will be busy,” said Ross Johnson, manager of State Street Brats, 603 State St., “But since we work well with the city fire marshals, we will adhere to capacity restrictions and only let in that specific number of people as we usually do.”
UW senior Anne Stowman will be looking for a way to avoid long lines and crowds downtown.
“Throwing a party is going to be my solution to avoiding the lines at the bars,” Stowman said. “I am still going to have a blast.”
Silverwood said the police department is prepared for the weekend events.
“We have a routine special events team that focuses on crowd control that will be working these events,” he said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the police presence is necessary, but said the MPD wants the crowd to have fun and use common sense.
“99 percent of the crowd is there to have a good time and is behaved,” Verveer said. “The police presence is for the one percent that get out of control.”
Daylight-saving time also falls on this already eventful weekend. At 2 a.m., bar time for Madison bars, clocks will automatically turn back an hour to 1 a.m., giving patrons an extra hour to drink.
City officials sent a letter to area bars informing them of this issue, giving them the option to remain open for an extra hour of business.
Tom Woodford, manager of the Angelic Brewery Co., 322 W. Johnson St., agreed to serve drinks for the extra hour because in spring, when daylight-saving time begins, the customers and bars lose an hour.
Woodford said it is only fair to the consumers and the establishment to remain open for business.
