With the Mifflin Street Block Party Saturday, the event sponsors and police and fire departments met with Mifflin residents Thursday to discuss the finalized rules and regulations for the festivities.
DCNY PRO is the first Mifflin sponsor since 1995, and co-owners Ny Bass and David Coleman said this year’s party will be the steppingstone for events to come.
“This isn’t Freakfest because I know for most students, Freakfest isn’t the most awesome time you have all year,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. “[W]e aren’t putting up a gate, we aren’t charging admission. … We just want to turn Mifflin around.”
Coleman said the production company could not go all-out with entertainment options because of a time crunch, as DCNY PRO was granted sponsorship Wednesday afternoon.
“We feel like this is the first step to what the potential of [Mifflin] could be, and the time that we had made us plan for efficiency,” Coleman said. “It’s going to be DJs. We would have liked to have live bands, but that’s just not feasible right now.”
Station manager for WSUM Jenny Underwood said from a radio standpoint, it’s easier to use DJs as musical entertainment on such short notice.
She also commented on the amenities the party will have, which include T-shirts, craft and food vendors such as Insomnia Cookies, Papa John’s and D.P. Dough.
Music will begin at noon and play until 7 p.m.
Although DJs from WSUM 91.7 will be providing music for the event, Bass said they are not trying to block out student bands that want to play during the festivities.
Although bands are allowed to play on private properties, the same rules that applied to the block party last year will still be in effect. Residencies that play music that can be heard in greater than a three-house radius will be issued a noise citation.
“I know the party intimately, and it’s lots of fun. I opened my house, I opened my tapper, so have fun,” Division Fire Chief Ron Schwenn said. “It’s not like we don’t understand what you’re doing, but we come at it from another prospective.”
With many strangers entering residences, the fire and police departments want everyone to get home safely at the end of the day, Schwenn said, adding people should not be afraid to call for help even if it could result in a ticket.
One thing people do not think about is the number of people on porches, Schwenn said. Porches will collapse if they are overcrowded and usually cannot hold more than four to eight people depending on their size.
In case of emergency, Sgt. Tony Fiore of the Madison Police Department said he distributed his cell phone number to Mifflin residents. If his cell is called regarding an out-of-control party, Fiore said he will have officers shutdown the house party in an orderly and safe manner.
But the police are not looking to end the fun, according to Fiore.
“[If] you have to deal with the fire department or the police department, there is a time to be heard, and we don’t want to be confrontational at all,” Fiore said. “If we’re asking for a balcony to be closed or a party to be closed, we’re not just picking straws. We’re looking for really overgrown or out-of-control parties.”
The police will also target people who urinate in public, have open intoxicants or are in possession of glass bottles on public property.
Schwenn added people are not allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.
“You’re not a beer distributor, you’re not a tavern. That much alcohol only leads to bad behavior. You don’t want someone [wrecking] your house, your car, your street,” Schwenn said.
Last year, 438 people were arrested at the Mifflin Street Block Party and approximately 10,000 attendees. Of those arrested, 383 were cited and released, 51 were sent to the Dane County Jail and four went to the detoxification center.
Capt. Mary Schauf of the MPD said she is unable to estimate the number of guests for this year’s festivities.
