Halloween is fast approaching, and Duke students are ready to get the party started in downtown Chapel Hill.
In 2001, tight restrictions on vehicular traffic effectively reduced the large crowds that have ranged from 50,000 to 70,000 partygoers in past years to only 25,000. This year, however, restrictions will be partially eased, and police expect the crowd size to return to normal.
In an almost 20-year-old tradition, merrymakers from across North Carolina will participate in the festivities. Although the Halloween celebration originated from costumed local residents walking along the downtown sidewalks, crowd size has burgeoned in recent years.
Last Halloween, in response to the looming possibility of domestic terrorism, police took stringent security precautions. Parking was forbidden along residential streets, and no traffic could enter within a one-mile radius of the downtown area. And in what could almost have been considered a Halloween prank in previous years, police set up anthrax decontamination booths downtown.
Chapel Hill Police Department spokesperson Jane Cousins said last year's drastic measures were taken to ensure the safety of participants and to prevent the destruction of private property.
But many students believe that security officials crossed the line. Sophomore Sajid Anwar said police last year confiscated the plastic wand of a costumed five-year-old. In addition, officials took a plastic pitchfork from one of Anwar's friends, dressed as a devil. "I felt safe but just thought it was ridiculous," Anwar said.
This year, security will be slightly less strict; only Franklin, Columbia and Raleigh streets will be officially closed to vehicular traffic, beginning at 8 p.m. But as with last Halloween, open containers of alcohol will be prohibited on public streets, and strict enforcement is anticipated. Furthermore, security officers will continue to confiscate items, including costume props, that resemble weapons.
Security measures will not be the only challenge facing Duke students who travel to Chapel Hill. The last Robertson Scholars bus leaves Duke at 5:30 p.m., so many students will travel by automobile. And parking spaces have always been a bane to traveling Halloween partygoers. With residential streets closed to non-resident parking, it has been increasingly difficult to accommodate the increasing crowds in past years.
Chapel Hill police recommend the usage of park-and-ride lots, which will shuttle partygoers to and from the downtown area for a round-trip cost of $3.00. More information regarding availability and location of park-and-ride lots is available on the Chapel Hill Police Department website, www.chpd.us.
Despite the hassles of security and parking, the Franklin Street Halloween celebration remains a tradition in the Duke social scene. Expressing the views of many students, senior Michael Bannon said that though "parking is horrendous," the event is "something every student should do once."
Not all students, however, feel the necessity to leave campus to have a good time. "If you just wait for the weekend here, it'll be a much better party!" junior Bennie Pennington said.
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