Madison's ’Freakfest 2008’ relatively mild

By Doug Erickson
Lee Newspapers

Sunday, November 2, 2008 11:17 PM CST

MADISON -- City officials were declaring victory early Sunday morning following a Freakfest that saw a 10 percent jump in ticket sales and what is likely to be far fewer arrests than last year.

The 38,309 tickets sold to third annual Halloween event on State Street is about 4,000 more than in 2007.

And the 77 arrests as of 2:45 a.m. was a pace much slower than last year, when 125 arrests were made.

"This is the third year in a row that we were able to end the event peacefully," Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. "I can really say that we have truly turned the event around."

Among Saturday's revelers was Paul Arnold, who got his freak on early Saturday — way early.

The Madison phone company employee hit State Street at 2 p.m., five hours before the official start of Freakfest. He said he put on his "split personality" costume — half businessman, half redneck — at 10 a.m. and immediately began alcohol consumption.

"You can't say you drank all day if you don't start in the morning," said Arnold, 26.

By 11 p.m., tens of thousands of people had joined Arnold for the annual Halloween party.

Just after midnight, the crowds had swelled so much in the 100 block of State Street that police closed the block off for about 15 minutes and brought mounted officers in to disperse the crush of people near the main music stage.

Freakfest started as an attempt by city officials to take a muscular approach to trying to stop the violence that marred earlier incarnations of Madison's once-informal Halloween gathering, which typically takes place the Saturday closest to the holiday.

Musical acts were added, with entrance to State Street barred to those without tickets.

The approach worked the last two years. Arrests and property damage dropped, and no major problems were reported.

Crowd sizes also have dropped by tens of thousands.

Tickets were $7 in advance and $10 at the gate this year. The city was planning to halt ticket sales at 50,000 if necessary.

Views differed on whether turning it into a ticketed event has been a good idea or a big bummer.

"Seven dollars kills the fun," said Alex Dallas, 21, of Madison, dressed as a Southern farmer. "It's too regulated now."

He said he took some comfort in the fact that "half-naked women" still populate the not-always-family-friendly event.

Andrew Troupis, 18, a senior at Badger High School in Lake Geneva, was attending his first Freakfest with friends, all in costumes.

"I know people are kind of ticked off about it because in the past it was really aloof and carefree," Troupis said. "But conflict between police and a large group of people isn't conducive to a good time."

More than 400 members of law enforcement were assigned to handle Freakfest, including 200 officers for State Street, 90 for arrest processing and 50 for traffic management. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney could be seen directing traffic with a wand about a block south of Overture Center. About 120 private guards also were on hand.

Arrests as of 1 a.m. Saturday were for minor offenses, and police were reporting no significant damage to property or injuries to people. One man was taken by ambulance to Meriter Hospital after being punched on Library Mall, an area outside the ticketed zone.

Mayor Cieslewicz said that if arrests remain low this year, next year, "I think we'll be able to reduce our police presence."

Earlier in the evening, Annie Badame, co-owner of Sacred Feather, a hat store on State Street, watched the crowds approvingly. She was selling merchandise on the sidewalk Saturday evening and stayed open until 10 p.m.

"We've been here 34 years, so we've seen it all," she said, recalling times when she had

to put Crisco oil on the building's rain gutters so people couldn't shimmy up them. "We're very pleased with the direction this has taken. It's very, very positive."

A carnival atmosphere surrounds the event. There was a DJ stage, an "urban theater" stage, the music stage (with headliner O.A.R.) and an outdoor movie screen. The latter appeared to be a bust, with films playing to an empty street.

Event sponsor Mountain Dew gave away 5,000 cans of an energy drink, as well as 7,000 strings of Mardi Gras beads.

A group of Christians took to the street to proselytize, one with a giant wooden cross that some mistook for part of a costume. Another held a sign that said, "God is Unfair."

"It's basically a conversation starter," said sign holder Jeremie Bridges, 28, of Neosho, Mo. (See Romans 6:23

for more information.) "Our goal is to talk to people. This is not a judgment on this event or this city."

Seasonably mild temperatures nearing 60 degrees reduced many costumes to scraps as college students and others found new and racier ways to express their creativity.

Tana Schirmer, 25, a stay-at-home mom from Rio, said she had no particular costume in mind when she donned a mini-skirt, a spaghetti strap top and a tiara. "I just wanted to be wild."

Pressed to describe her outfit, she spontaneously decided she was a "stripper princess for Obama."

Others went for more complicated attire. Jason Peters, 26, a graduate student in genetics, wore a geometric cardboard contraption on his head, a body suit and a long, stripped tail.

"I'm phage lambda, a virus that attacks bacteria, specifically the E. coli bacteria," he said. People who can't guess his costume at least appreciate the effort, he said.

Although no major problems had been reported by 1:30 a.m., in past years, problems arose much later, usually around bar time.

Friday night passed relatively uneventfully, even though about 10,000 people were on State Street. By 3 a.m. Saturday, police had made 56 arrests, most of them for minor offenses such as disorderly conduct.

However, two state troopers suffered minor injuries while making an arrest outside a State Street tavern, and one person was taken to a local hospital after falling off a second-story roof on University Avenue.

There were many reports of private, Downtown house parties, but these were mostly small gatherings with no significant issues, according to the Madison Police Department.

Lee Newspapers reporters Patricia Simms, Chris Rickert and Quinn Craugh contributed to this report.

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