Correction appended.
Check back throughout the evening to read updates from our reporters on Court Street.
8 p.m. update
After a day of cold weather and rain, the Athens Halloween Block Party started off slow Saturday night.
Jackie Levine, a junior studying communication, said attendance at the block party seemed sparse compared to last year.
“It’s a lot less packed and crowded this year because of the rain,” Levine said.
While some students expressed disappointment, officials expressed relief at the slow start.
“We’ve got the safety and wellbeing of the public in mind, and so far the crowd looks kind of docile,” Athens Sheriff Rodney Smith said. “I hope it continues to be that way.”
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson echoed Smith.
“So far so good,” Patterson said. “It’s a little on the slow side I think, and that’s not a bad thing.”
9 p.m. update
As the night progressed, the temperature dropped and attendance began to increase.
Terry Myer, CEO of Columbus Detective Agency, was working outside the Delta Zeta house on Mill Street. He said he thought the jump in the number of students in attendance was because the Ohio State football game ended.
Upperclassmen like Rachel Weaver, a senior studying psychology and sociology-criminology, said the lack of attendance was probably because of the weather.
“I feel like less people is better because it’s safer,“ Weaver said.
Zach Fernandes, a senior studying geology, was selling quesadillas for $2 to students on Court Street for Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the national honor society for the earth sciences.
“A lot of people think this is our costume,” Fernandes said. “There’s a lot of people here, and it’s funny watching the drunk people.”
10 p.m. update
In front of a house on Mill Street, a man waited with police who were on bikes for an ambulance.
“He was just too drunk,” Michael Stull, who is visiting from Cleveland and a former OU student, said. “His friends were carrying him. Then bike cops came by (and) his friends ran away.”
Some students said they thought the police were stricter last year, and Mill Street was calmer.
“I feel like this year is more strict,” Stoney Gillespie, a sophomore studying biological science pre-med, said. “On the real, the craziest thing I’ve seen is girls taking their shirts off and stuff.”
11 p.m. update
Someone who fell off a roof of a building on Foster Place is in critical condition at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, Rick Callebs, the Athens County EMS chief said.
EMS responded to the call at 7:45 p.m., Callebs said. The patient may take may be driven to a hospital in Columbus.
Other than the fall, Callebs said the night has been pretty “run of the mill” with 10 calls to EMS as of 11:00 p.m.
Meanwhile partygoers on Court and Mill Street were having a fun and getting into their costumes.
Alyse Carter is a “professional cosplayer” from Athens and throws an annual Halloween party. This year, she dressed up as Russell from the film Up. To every new person she met on Court Street she would act in character and ask them how she could get a new merit badge.
Andrew Thompson, a sophomore studying promotional photography at OU said so far “HallOUween” has met his expectations.
“It is hilarious seeing all the different costumes,” he said.
Midnight update
Both the temperature and the police presence on Mill Street caused a move toward Court Street.
“The block party is good as ever,” Tyler Dovenbarger, who has visited Athens for Halloween for several years from Gallipolis, Ohio, said. “The cops are out way earlier, though.”
Mounted officers surrounded the street, and eventually pushed the majority of the crowd on Mill Street toward Court Street.
“It’s definitely more tame, probably due to the weather,” Jackson Brill, a senior studying Management Information Systems and business analytics, said.
On Court Street, Derek Urichich, a freshman at OU, said he had higher expectations for the party.
“I thought there would be like acrobats and fire spinners,” he said.
1 a.m. update
The crowd dwindled as the night progressed and grew colder.
Aron Reman, an Ohio State University sophomore, dressed up as T.J. from the Nickelodeon classic Recess. His girlfriend dressed up Spinelli.
The couple chose that costume because they love to watch the show together.
“I’ve noticed there are a lot of other people from out of town, too,” Reman said. “It’s interesting getting to know other people who aren’t from Athens.”
2:30 a.m. update
At about 1 a.m., police officers started directing people off the street and onto the sidewalks.
According to Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle, officers were beginning to shut down the block party. Pyle didn’t think police would need to use horses to shut down Court Street as they did in previous years.
“It’s nice and quiet,” Pyle said.
Callebs, EMS, also said that it had been quiet throughout the night. He said they hadn’t had to deal with many people.
Callets said cold pushed the crowd indoors, so most of the issues EMS dealt with were in houses or dorms.
“The crowd doesn’t seem to be as wild as some years in the past,” Callets said.
Justin Buckley, from Parkersburg, said he comes down to OU for Halloween and fests.
“It’s the number one party school in America. Why wouldn’t I?” Buckey said.
When the bars began to close at about 2 a.m., a lot of people started leaving Court Street.
At about 2:30 a.m., officers on horses marched two by two in a line down Court Street, wrapping up another Athens Block Party.
Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly identified the street of the building where someone fell off a balcony. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
