Weaker Halloween Restrictions Draw Large, Civil Crowd

The record crowd peaked at 69,000 people after midnight, and 5,300 people used the newly implemented park-and-ride bus system set up for only Halloween, according to a press release from the Chapel Hill Police Department.

Town officials and business managers said the decreased restrictions did not cause any more problems than usual for Halloween, heralding this year's festivities as a success.

Chapel Hill Town Council member Flicka Bateman said that she received a phone call thanking her for the lessened restrictions and that the feedback she has received on the event has been largely warm. "Everything I've heard is very positive," Bateman said. "I think (the restrictions) were appropriate."

Local business managers like Jason Hartman of Top of the Hill said the decreased restrictions helped generate more business for them.

"It seemed like this year was a little busier for us," Hartman said. "In terms of the bar it was similar (to last Halloween), but in terms of the restaurant I think we did better."

Management of many businesses that were open during the night's peak hours said that there were some problems but that they did not ruin the night.

Arthur Dragoslis, owner of Miami Subs, said a girl fainted in his restaurant and he had to call an ambulance for her.

"It was hard to get an ambulance in here, because they were apparently taken by other incidents. Other than that, business was smooth," he said.

The police reported that 33 people were treated by the Orange County EMS on Halloween.

There were 18 people arrested, compared to 28 last year. The charges ranged from assault to carrying a concealed weapon.

University police arrested a man carrying a cane that had a 20-inch knife hidden inside the shaft. The man was not a resident of Chapel Hill and was in town for the festivities.

Also during the night in separate incidents, two people were reportedly stabbed, with one being hospitalized. Neither of the victims saw the weapons.

Officers from N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement, a division of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, issued 40 citations for alcohol violation. They included 27 counts of underage possession of alcohol and five counts of fraudulent identification.

Park-and-ride busing helped keep people from drinking and driving, said Bill Stockard, assistant to the Chapel Hill town manager.

Chapel Hill Transportation Director Mary Lou Kuschatka called the busing a success. "I think it went really well," she said.

Kuschatka added that the park-and-ride program produced $16,000 but said Chapel Hill Transit has not yet calculated how much it cost to run the buses and to pay the bus drivers.

"It was hard to predict how much (service) we were going to get because we hadn't done this event before," she said. "We're pretty confident we didn't lose any money."

Transit ran 40 buses on Halloween and only had to take two out of service for cleaning.

With officials touting the general success of the busing system and smooth operations on Halloween night, predictions for next year's festivities are optimistic yet reserved. "It's too early to tell if this is the exact format to use for the Halloween event," Stockard said.

Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said he does not think the restrictions need to be stronger next year.

"I don't foresee a need right now to strengthen them," he said. "I suspect what we had this year will be just fine."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.