Dress Up, Eat Candy, Be Good

The yearly Franklin Street Halloween celebration is, in theory, a night when students and residents, locals and out-of-towners, old and young alike, all come together to participate in the revelries.

Love it or hate it, you've got to admit that it's pretty cool of the town of Chapel Hill to let this crazy party go on every year -- especially when it can be pretty scary at times.

If you like people-watching, Franklin Street on Halloween is the best place to get an eyeful. George W. Bush look-alikes, walking and talking Old Wells and girls who are showing as much skin as possible (despite the fact it is guaranteed to be below 50 degrees every year) all flock to the main drag to check out everyone else's costumes.

But combine this scene with the fact that many students have been drinking heavily, some are carrying large plastic weapons as accessories and many of the costumes are so realistic that you could swear that that bloody person walking around really looks like he died in 1975 -- and you've got a fairly frightening party.

Fortunately, we live, work and play in a town that still can recognize the good, mostly clean fun in the yearly celebration. We've got law enforcement officials willing to work late hours to patrol the streets, retailers willing to deal with rowdy customers and taxpayers willing to foot the $120,000 bill for the whole party.

Last year, Chapel Hill officials cracked down on the revelries big time with the intention of eventually shutting down the festivities altogether over the next few years.

Barriers were erected in a 1-mile radius around the town's center, preventing people from driving into the downtown area.

The measures, combined with the paranoia caused by threats of anthrax attacks and Sept. 11 fears, decreased the attendance from the normal 50,000 to about 25,000 partyers.

But the Downtown Commission's Executive Director Robert Humphreys said last year's Halloween regulations discouraged locals from coming out to the traditional celebration. Even Chapel Hill residents who live near Franklin Street said last year's atmosphere was not as fun as previous years.

This year, Chapel Hill officials have exactly the right idea about how to handle the celebration. The strict downtown area driving regulations of Oct. 31, 2001, will be abandoned, allowing all who wish to attend the chance.

This year, the town has officially accepted the role of host for the famous party by offering to deliver partyers to and from the Franklin Street action. Chapel Hill Transit buses will serve as shuttles from parking lots on the outskirts of town to Franklin Street.

Although the busing won't be the usual fare-free service -- a round-trip ticket can be purchased for $3 -- they will provide a safe, easy and affordable way for partyers to reach downtown.

As always, the No. 1 concern for Chapel Hill officials at Halloween is safety.

While driving regulations will be relaxed, police on Franklin Street still will be confiscating alcohol and (fake and real) weapons before anyone can enter the heart of the party.

Like it or not, these measures are necessary to make sure that the street remains as safe and incident-free as possible -- and also ensures the party can continue to be a Chapel Hill tradition for years to come.

It's always easy for students in a college town to complain about how town officials try to limit the fun of student celebrations. But when it comes to Halloween, it looks like the town of Chapel Hill has accepted the celebration as an enjoyable and unique tradition that brings many different groups together to share in the revelries.

So on Thursday night, it's important to dress up, act silly and eat too much candy -- it's Halloween, after all. But it's also crucial we recognize that to keep this party rolling for years to come, it needs to remain good, mostly clean and safe fun.

Carolyn Pearce can be reached at cpearce@email.unc.edu.