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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2001)
Celebrating Halloween in Eugene, 1943-2001 ■Candy, costumes, cinema and classical music? Halloween has seen its share of festivities over the years in the Eugene area By Marcus Hathcock Oregon Daily Emerald Halloweens at the University have seen their share of antics in the past, but holiday festivities haven’t always ended in criminal activity. The University historically has had little to do with Halloween events, but students and the community have usually kept themselves busy on the haunted holiday. Recent Halloweens have seen ri ots and criminal activity in the streets of Eugene. In 1996, a crowd of 200 alleged party-crashers rioted on University Street, as reported in the Emerald on Nov. 4, 1996. The disturbance began because the par ty’s hosts attempted to lock out the uninvited guests. The following year, the Emerald reported 300 people were part of a “party-turned-riot” on the corner of East 17th Avenue and Alder Street. The rioting began in 1997 for the same reason as in 1996 — too many party-crashers showed up at a par ticular residence. A neighbor on East 17th Avenue re portedly saw several fights, vehicu lar vandalism and people firing gun shots into the air. Tear gas was used when the 40 police officers were as saulted with rocks and bottles. And still, a year later, crowds gath ered at the site of the 1997 riots to “get it on again,” a student told the Emerald. An estimated 80 to 100 people congregated at the troubled intersection, once again uprooting street signs and causing vandalism to the area. When rioters wouldn’t disperse, more tear gas was used, and the area SWAT team was deployed. Twelve arrests were made that year. Riot gear wasn’t always necessary during Halloween in Eugene. Festivi ties of the deeper past sometimes in cluded vandalism but almost never ended in police involvement. Mixing (and vandalizing) in the ’40s On Oct. 31, 1943, World War II was in full swing. The content of the Emerald newspaper on that day was mainly war-related, and there were no articles about Halloween events. There was, however, an advertise ment in that day's paper for a Hal loween party at the now-extinct Eu gene Ice Arena on W. 6th Avenue. The party included ice skating, eat ing doughnuts and drinking refresh ments until "the witching hour," otherwise known as midnight. After the war was over, Hal loween had a comeback. There was once a student group on campus called the Independent Student As sociation (ISA) that sponsored cam pus events. One such event was the group’s "Hallowe'en Mixer" on Sat urday, Oct. 30, 1948, held in the Gerlinger Annex. In an Emerald article the day be fore the mixer, ISA President Bob Davis said he promised a party that would prevent the “usual staglines” from forming (staglines being crowds of inactive partiers). The dance took place the day before Hal loween from 9 p.m. to midnight. Ad mission was free to all members of ISA, but for those who weren’t mem bers, 25 cents bought a membership card. Door prizes included an orchid from Wayne's Florist and a bottle of cologne from Kieth Fennels. In the same Emerald issue, an edi torial quoted a form letter received from the "National Halloween Com mittee" in New York. “As an alternative for breaking windows, smashing gates and get ting run over,” the letter encouraged eating doughnuts off a string and bobbing for apples. However, two days after Hal loween, the community learned that not everyone sat around eating doughnuts and apples. InaNov. 2,1948, Emerald article ti tled “Halloween Takes Toll on Cam pus” by Gretchen Grondahl, acts of Halloween vandalism were recorded. Grondahl reported that “gangs of prowlers” attacked several Univer sity sorority houses. Attacks includ ed what the story referred to as the “regulation soaping of windows,” with theft and property injuries. Thefts included a nameplate from the former sorority Alpha Omicron Pi and three trophies from Delta Delta Delta. Garbage was dumped in sororities’ living rooms and front lawns. An out house was parked on the Delta Zeta lawn, which was reportedly removed with a “wrecker and squad car.” Greek system brings children to campus In 1955, fraternities and sororities at the University hosted 16 different parties on Halloween. According to the Emerald archives, these parties in cluded an estimated 600 local 4th and 5th grade students as “guests of hon or.” That evening, the chapter houses played games of “pin the tail on the donkey,” “hot potato” and “bobbing for apples” with the costumed kids. After the parties, there was an all-cam pus dance in the EMU Ballroom. Though sororities and fraternities don’t host Halloween parties for children anymore, the youth aren't left out of University festivities on Halloween. Bean Residence Hall Complex Director Mark Brinkmann said this year marks the second an nual “trick or treat for kids” at the Bean Complex. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Brinkmann said kids from UO Family Housing, EMU Child Care and local elementary schools will roam the halls of the Bean Complex searching for candy. While in a housing position at a Emerald Two local children try to bite an apple off a string at one of the many Greek-sponsored Halloween partie. 955. Eugene 4th- and 5th-graders were treated as “guests of honor” at the chapter celebrations. different university, Brinkmann said he saw the trick or treat pro gram accommodate up to 700 chil dren. The Bean Complex program hosted a comparatively scant 50 kids last year, Brinkmann said, but he remained optimistic about this year’s event. “When trying to start any new tra dition, it’s going to start out slow,” he said. Brinkmann said he hopes that par ents who are wary about the program will see that it’s “just a lot of fun. ” Brinkmann estimated that about 72 Bean residents will participate in handing out candy from their rooms to trick-or-treating kids. All of the festivities are free for the participat ing kids and their parents. But back in 1961, families attend ed other free Halloween events. The “College Inn” had an afternoon Hal loween party with free coffee, re freshments and doughnuts. The University’s School of Music hosted a student recital that same Halloween during peak candy-grab bing hours, at 8 p.m., in the “Music Auditorium.” Organists and vocal ists performed classical pieces such as Bach's Prelude in D Major and Claude Debussy's “Reflections in the Water.” Such concerts don't ex ist on Halloween today. In 1974, the only Halloween fes tivity that was mentioned was a par ty at a place called Duffy’s, adver tised in the Emerald. 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