Since the infancy of Athens' Uptown Halloween party, music has remained an integral component to the festivities. Much like the turbulent history of the holiday celebration, the entertainment element also struggled to secure its spot in the epic party.
President of the Clean and Safe Halloween Committee, Jonathan Holmberg has been intermittently involved with the Halloween music scene since 1977, when he was an Ohio University student, and has been organizing the event since 1992. What is now an extravaganza synonymous with Athens' infamous Halloween revelry, he said, really took off from his and a few college students' grassroots efforts.
I got so involved in Halloween because the University canceled Springfest in
I think it was 1980 and (my friends and I) organized a new one and funded it through donations from citizens and organizations he said. We figured if we could do it for that
we could do it for Halloween.
When he became fundraising chair for the Clean and Safe Halloween Committee in 1988, he worked to make musical options possible - but the road to a smooth and successful major concert had a few bumps along the way.
According to an October 1977 Post article, music and live entertainment first appeared in 1977 when the city and university first attempted to organize the annual block party. A stage first was erected in front of the Athens County Courthouse, and the Marching 110 performed.
But after 1978's Uptown party, city and university officials revoked their sponsorship, according to the article. The next few years brought failed attempts to divert the masses from Uptown and little musical publicity.
In 1981, the South Green Council formed a Mock Court Street Halloween Party. They brought together a stage and performers, including Holmberg's band, Voices, as the headliner.
In 1985, Holmberg said the freshly formed Clean and Safe Halloween Committee sponsored its first concert in the security parking lot across from Subway, 25 N. Court St. The performance featured Strawberry Jam - now Voodoo Birds who will make their seventh Halloween appearance this year - The Crunch and Snap Dragon with Holmberg as MC.
We stayed there for a couple of years because the city wouldn't give us a stage
he said. But we proved to them that we were responsible
well organized
that we had security - that was a big step. Plus we were drawing crowds of 7
000 to 8
000.
Eventually in 1990, the city recognized Holmberg's meticulous efforts and allowed a stage on N. Court St.
Holmberg said North Court Street remained the stage's location until 1998 when city council approved The Clean and Safe Halloween Committee's request to move the stage up to South Court Street to provide better flow of traffic for revelers.
That got a lot of media attention. There were helicopters
news teams
he said. I think (President) Glidden was convinced we were going to trash College Green or something
