Madison Halloween Dump 2006: T minus Eight Weeks

This week we will begin a new weekly feature on Dane101 leading up to Madison's highly anticipated Halloween festivities. This year is especially interesting with the controversy surrounding plans for State Street in an attempt to keep Halloween civil. Each week leading up to All Hallows Eve Dane101 will be scouring the media for references and bundle them all nice and neat right here.

What we know so far:

Halloween will be known as "Freakfest on State Street." Handling planning is a new student group called HAC: the Halloween Action Committee. The Madison Common Council approved a ban on all glass containers on State Street and also $85,000 to help pay for costs. Still up in the air is a $5 admission fee which will be revisited during a September 19 meeting.

HAC was formed from a Facebook group called "Move Halloween to Langdon Street." The mayor sought out the founders of the group and empowered them - successfully deflating one attempt at moving the Halloween party. HAC will be providing some input into who performs at the festival. Nationally, they have approached the bands O.A.R. and Sugarcult.

Students have a chance to step up and provide input on September 13 at 165 Bascom Hall starting at 7:30 p.m.

What the blogs are saying:

The Bucky says, "Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is trying to make the annual event less chaotic and calmer by blocking off State Street and adding a five dollar cover charge. Like this will honestly work! Not a chance. Adding that cover charge and limiting the number of people on the street will only make all the college students more aggravated. Think of the ones that won't get in; what will they do? Sure some might go to Langdon and start a party of their own, but some will also start riots in retaliation."

The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts says, "The city, paranoid after years of riots, tends to break out the tear gas a little early while the students of Playboy’s no.1 ranked party school are more than a little wild. The two factions feed off each other and every year the “party” grows out of control. Add to this the recent escalating violence on King Street (which is right across the Capital Square from State Street) and This year looks like it will be the worst ever for tragedy."