This year’s Mill Fest remained fairly tame throughout the day Saturday compared to previous, wilder years.
Mill Street was packed with people from noon to 8:30 p.m., resulting in a total of 29 arrests on 42 charges by the Athens Police Department and Ohio University Police Department.
Charges included underage consumption, open containers, obstruction of official business, possession of marijuana and more, according to an APD news release.
At one point in the day, there were 26 active house parties on the street, about 10 of which had to be shut down because of rowdiness and violations, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said. However, he said, people were cooperative when asked to shut the parties down.
After police shut down some parties, others wrapped up their festivities on their own.
“We went to dinner around 7, and when we got back, it was dead,” Jennifer Deis, an OU student studying marine freshwater and environmental biology.
Mill Fest’s early end could be attributed to the shutdowns, the OU basketball game against Akron and the weather cooling down, Pyle said.
Athens County Emergency Medical Services responded to only one call to assist a partygoer in an alcohol-related emergency, which resulted in a transport to the emergency room, according to the APD news release.
EMS said the lack of injuries was unusual for Mill Fest.
While the night might not have ended well for some students, others seemed to have had a good time throughout the day.
“It’s not like any other fest,” said Ben Weiner, a mechanical engineering major.
First-time Mill Fest partygoers, such as journalism students Michelle Sebastian and Lindsey Smecker, said the fest was better than they expected and that they plan to attend next year.
Other students, such as business major Lange Carter, indicated that they are also looking forward to the rest of fest season. Next up is High Fest on March 23.
“Next weekend is going to be amazing,” Carter said.
kf398711@ohiou.edu
