Here's a breakdown of the Athens Halloween Block Party during the night. Be sure to pick up a copy of The Post Monday for more coverage.
2:30 a.m. Update
By Katlynn Grady and Sara Lowenstein
Compared to the past, this year’s celebration seems to be calm and under control, said Ryan Lombardi, interim vice president of Student Affairs.
Early in the night especially, students and parties were quiet, he said.
“I think it’s been relatively calm,” Lombardi said. “From a medical perspective, it’s been picking up, but arrests are pretty low. It seems like a smaller crowd to me; nothing too out of control.”
Lombardi said the weather might be a contributor to a lesser crowd.
“The weather was so crappier earlier that I wondered if people would even bother coming,” he said.
Retired Athens Police Department Lieutenant Randy Gray agreed that the celebration hasn’t been rowdier than in previous years.
“It’s pretty much a normal Halloween,” Gray said. “The party has become pretty routine in Athens. There have been a lot of house parties shut down after midnight, but no major incidents.”
1:50 a.m. Update
By Andrea Frazier
Various law enforcement officials continue to look out for student safety as this year’s Halloween block party rages on.
Jason Hager, the station chief for the Athens EMS station 51, said this Halloween has been slow. He and his team have received about 10 calls as of about 11:30. The calls they receive include standard incarceration, falls and lacerations. They receive both 9-1-1 calls and walk-ups. He said the weather could be one of the reasons this year is slow, noting that in the past 6–8 years he has worked Halloween, this is one of the mildest years.
Tim Gemind works with the State of Ohio Incident Management Team. The team he belongs to supports campus police and city safety services. As requested by Ohio University Police Chief Andrew Powers, the team's first Halloween in Athens was last year. Its members also provided support during Palmer Fest. They track responders and manage resources.
“It’s important to know who is here and how many, where they are and where they are from,” Gremind said. “From what I can tell, it seems pretty safe and under control.”
Ohio University staff members turned volunteers make up the Green Jacket Team, who help control the event from their control booth outside the City Building. Christine Sheets of OU's Residential Housing and the team's co-chair reported no serious incidents this year.
Joe Adams of Risk Management and Safety, also a co-chair for the team, said the Green Team works to keep students safe and make sure they are not hurt, don't get in trouble and arrive safely home.
He said the worst incidents from past Halloweens were fires, intentional or intentional, of couches or buildings. None have occurred this year.
“I’m really pleased to see that things seem really safe, and that the crowd is calm," Adams said.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said about 10 nuisance parties had to be shut down all over town, and that there have been 14 alcohol-related arrests. About 30 to 60 arrests are expected throughout the night.
“So far, so good,” Pyle said.
Miami University junior Stephen Peck said he recognizes Athens for its beautiful women and the nice personalities of its citizens. This is his first Halloween in Athens.
“I would love to be here again,” Peck said.
Aaron Maynard of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office has been posted with one other officer outside of the TSI apartments, where residents must show wristbands to gain access to the building.
“We open doors with a smile,” Maynard said.
12:10 a.m. Update
By Samuel Howard
As the clock approached midnight, partygoers continued to enjoy the Athens
Halloween celebration.
Michael Ouellet, a sophomore with an undecided major who was dressed as Waldo, said he enjoyed the party despite frequent heckles from strangers about finally locating the comic-strip hero.
“Everyone’s a critic, but I still think of it as one of the best nights of my life,” Ouellet said.
Athens Police Department had arrested 10 partygoers as of 11:30 p.m., though law enforcement officials considered it a tame night.
“It’s pretty quiet,” said Joe Stotts, a lieutenant for the Athens Police Department. “There is a decent-sized crowd, but it’s not unruly.”
11:40 p.m. Update
By Ben Mathes
The Halloween festivities carried on tamely as the evening progressed.
Dave Rave, a local Athens DJ, gathered a large crowd at the north end of the block party at the Four Loco-sponsored stage. Aside from one fight that was broken up quickly, the crowd enjoyed the show.
Proceeding Dave Rave was a costume contest that featured CandyLand characters — all Jackie O's Pub & Brewery employees — Batman and his enemies, The Walking Dead and the winner of the contest, Forest Gump.
Megan Marshall, a freshman studying organizational leadership at the University of Cincinnati, was having her first experience of Athens Halloween.
“I have never seen anything like this in Cincinnati," she said. "I’m having a great time.”
She added she was impressed by the variety of costumes, her favorite being two girls, one dressed as a taco and one as a bell.
“I love the small-town feel of Athens,” she said.
The officers and public officials on duty were not particularly busy, as this year’s celebration has so far involved fewer arrests. Athens Police Officer Matt Warren said the party had been “pretty tame” and that he had not made any arrests so far this evening.
10:40 p.m. Update
By Joshua Jamerson
Athens County Emergency Medical Services has been dispatching vehicles at about the same rate as last year's Halloween festivities, Athens County EMS Public Information Officer Dan Pfeiffer said.
"We're doing the same thing we were doing last year, with the same amount of trucks and everything," Pfeiffer said, adding that the response needed by Athens County EMS has been normal for the time of night.
There had only been one person at the block party on Court Street who needed emergency medical services as of 10 p.m., Pfeiffer said.
A group of nine people from Cincinnati were also in town, and they came to Athens to give partygoers a religious message.
"Jesus said to go to all the world, and that's what we're doing," said Richard Smith, a member of the group. "There's a crowd here tonight, so we're here tonight. We go wherever the fish go."
A group of four Ohio University students dressed as Spartan warriors roamed Uptown, though they said they had lost a friend.
"We really liked the movie '300,' and we thought we should go as Spartans," said Jason Malizia, an junior studying chemistry. "There were five of us, but we lost a friend of ours. He was our fifth guy."
9:45 p.m. Update
By Brandon Carte
Before the sun had even set, Halloween celebrators made the voyage to Court
Street despite the chilly weather.
As The Burning River Ramblers played soft, country rock, about 75 attendees gathered and danced to the music.
Tannah Goodrich, a sophomore studying psychology at West Virginia University, said she made the trip to Athens because she heard Halloween was “way better here.”
“I’m really glad I came; I’m having a ton of fun,” Goodrich said as she held her broom that complimented her witch costume above her head.
Not all students dressed up for the block party, including Kelly Cox, a junior at OU studying special education.
“I’ve celebrated Halloween two years now,” Cox said. “I’ve already had my Halloween experiences, and now I just want to watch people.”
While a lot of people were dancing along to the music as it reverberated throughout Court Street, others were trying to spread messages, but not necessarily through their costumes.
David Kirkbride, a junior studying business at OU, held a sign that read, “Jesus or sin, whom will you serve? Heaven or Hell, where will you go?”
“I expected things to be shocking, and I hope that people see my sign and pray for the first time and meet God,” Kirkbride said.
As Kirkbride held his sign to passersby, Karen Mazza held up a cardboard sign that her friend gave her with an arrow pointing toward Kirkbride that read, “Y’all bitches.”
“I think it’s great that they are spreading a message and have their beliefs,” said Mazza, a freshman studying mechanical engineering at Ohio State University. “I’m Catholic, but I think that they are trying to make people feel bad.”
Athens Police Department Officer Destry Flick, who was mounted on a horse, said that he hadn’t made any arrests as of 8:45 p.m.
“I haven’t seen anything too crazy,” he said as a passerby wearing an inflatable horse costume stepped in front of him and yelled, “Guess who I am!”
9:30 p.m. Update
By Collete Whitney
Ohio University’s Halloween events this year have started slowly but seem to be
measuring up to the hype of past years.
“It’s a lot of fun so far,” said Chris Haskins, an OU sophomore studying geography who was dressed up as Burger King. “There’s not many people, but the night is still young.”
This sentiment appears to be shared by many people attending the annual block party. It has been a slow night, but as the night progresses, so will the party, said Alisha Gamble, an OU sophomore studying theater performance who was dressed as a princess.
The Athens Police Department has had a slow night so far as well. There have been no arrests yet, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle.
“I came here last year, and it was great,” said Morgan Swanson, a sophomore at Ohio State University studying education who dressed as a sailor. “It’s a little empty right now, but I think it will definitely top last year.”
9:15 p.m. Update
By Xander Zellner
As Ohio University students roamed the streets dressed as ghouls, ghosts or binders full of women, Halloween night was only just beginning.
Though many students were just arriving at the Court Street Block Party, energy levels were rising, said Nick Rose, a senior guitar street performer.
“Nothing has happened just yet, but it’s a pretty cool energy so far,” he said. “It’s usually a slow buildup, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
With hundreds of dressed up and scantily clad party-goers passing by, CLC Christian Life Center member Zach Bough was not impressed by the originality of the costumes.
“I’ve been coming here since 1994, and all I can say is, what happened to the originality of the costumes?” he said. “As Lifeblood members, we're used to getting heckled, but at least be creative about it.”
