More Information about Homegrown Halloween
A news conference was held today (Friday, Oct. 16) in Chapel Hill to announce restrictions in place for Homegrown Halloween 2009. Pictured at left from the news conference are (left to right) Jasmin Jones, UNC-Chapel Hill student body president, Mayor Kevin Foy, and Police Chief Brian Curran.
Homegrown Halloween will return to Chapel Hill on Oct. 31, 2009. The shared effort among the Town, University and Downtown businesses aims to return Halloween on Franklin Street to its roots as a small town community gathering and to reduce crowd sizes.
The event attracts an enormous crowd (upwards of 80,000 in 2007 and reduced to 35,000 in 2008). Confined in the downtown area, this large gathering presents many public safety concerns related to personal and property crime, crowd panic and large scale civil disorders. Additional concerns focus on alcohol poisoning and gang-related violence. All of which spills over onto the University campus and adjacent neighborhoods.
The Chapel Hill public safety, and public works and parks and recreation team is experienced with managing many large scale crowd events in our downtown. Public safety officials in Chapel Hill are mindful that even the best laid plans cannot guard completely against crowd surges and possible disaster. Despite having many contingencies, they will be the first to say that safety cannot be assured.
Another caution this year centers on H1N1. College age students are at higher risk for contracting H1N1. The virus is highly transmissible, so students living in close contact such as in apartments or shared homes are more likely to be exposed and potentially contract H1N1. If you have a fever or other flu like symptoms, please stay home to limit the spread of the virus.
Once again, the plan this year is to restrict traffic access to downtown Chapel Hill through lane and street closures starting at 7 p.m. There will be no bus shuttles although Safe Ride buses will operate for UNC-Chapel Hill students. Alcohol checkpoints will be in place at the event, and DWI enforcement will take place on the outskirts of Chapel Hill with cooperation from the NC Highway Patrol. The Town will work with downtown bar and restaurant owners to restrict alcohol sales after 1 a.m. Franklin Street will reopen to regular traffic at midnight. All ABC permittees among the bars and restaurants in downtown Chapel Hill will not permit customers to enter or re-enter after 1 a.m.
Because Homegrown Halloween on Franklin Street is geared to a local audience, the following restrictions are in place:
- Restricted access to downtown through lane and street closures
- No special event park and ride bus shuttles
- Parking will be essentially unavailable downtown
- Police plan to begin reopening Franklin Street at midnight
- Chapel Hill Transit will run its usual bus routes although some will be rerouted due to the traffic diversion plan. The Safe Ride bus routes normally in place on the weekends will be available to transport community members and UNC students away from downtown.
- Downtown bars and restaurants will close their doors at 1 a.m. to new patrons. They also will charge a minimum $5 cover charge to patrons not attending private events. In addition, downtown convenience stores that sell alcohol will either close their doors or stop selling alcohol at 1 a.m.
- Although Daylight-Saving Time (DST) ends on Nov. 1, the clocks will not roll back for this event. (1 a.m. will not become midnight.)
Traffic Control
- Southbound traffic on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be merged into one lane prior to the intersection of Estes Drive.
- Westbound traffic on E. Franklin Street will be merged into one lane prior to the intersection of Estes Drive.
- Westbound lanes on South Road will be detoured onto Ridge Road to Manning Drive.
- Westbound traffic on Manning Drive will be detoured south onto S. Columbia Street.
- Northbound traffic on S. Columbia Street will be detoured east onto Manning Drive.
- S. Columbia Street will be closed to northbound traffic at Manning Drive.
Beginning at about 9 p.m., some downtown streets will be closed to vehicular traffic, including:
- Franklin Street, from Raleigh Street to Roberson Street
- Columbia Street, from Rosemary Street to Cameron Avenue
- Raleigh Street, from East Franklin to Cameron Avenue
- Henderson Street, from East Rosemary Street to East Franklin Street
Residential streets near downtown will be closed except to residents of those streets and their guests.
Parking
As always, there will be little to NO PARKING available close to downtown, and there will be no place for charter buses to drop off or pick up passengers. Charter buses entering the downtown Chapel Hill area will be directed by law enforcement officers to the outskirts of Town prior to dropping off any passengers.
Vehicles parked on streets to be closed will be towed beginning at 6 p.m.
Vehicles that are illegally parked will be ticketed and towed, with a minimum recovery cost of $103.
Media vehicles will not be allowed to park inside the closed perimeter.
Prohibited Items
Downtown restaurants and bars will close their doors at 1 a.m. to new patrons. They also will charge a minimum $5 cover charge to patrons not attending a private event. In addition, downtown convenience stores that sell alcohol will either close their doors or stop selling alcohol at 1 a.m.
Town ordinances and State statutes prohibit the following items in the closed area:
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Weapons
- Glass Bottles
- Paint
- Fireworks and Explosives
- Flammable Substances
- Animals
- Coolers
- Items, even as part of a costume, which can be used as weapons or could reasonably be mistaken as weapons will be confiscated. This includes items made of wood, metal, cardboard or hard plastic.
Transit
No Bus Shuttles: There will be no bus shuttles operating from park and ride lots.
Safe Ride Buses: Safe Ride buses will operate from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Safe Ride is a service funded by the University for the safety of students. Safe Ride buses will attempt to operate the normal published schedules along the detoured routes. Safe Rides will not serve the Downtown/Franklin Street area. Please be advised that due to road closures and traffic pattern changes, Chapel Hill Transit may be unable to operate its exact published schedules. View Safe Ride maps and schedules.
- Safe T - pick up and drop off from Chapel Hill Town Hall
- Safe J - pick up and drop off from Passport Motors
- Safe G - pick up and drop off from Columbia Street at Sitterson Hall across from Carolina Inn
Changes to Bus Routes: Chapel Hill Transit riders should be aware that the NU Route will end at 9:02 p.m. at the PR Lot. Riders who would like to travel on this route from 9-11 p.m. must schedule a Shared Ride trip in advance. All calls must be received by 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in order to use this service. Riders may begin scheduling rides on Friday, Oct. 23. Shared Ride services will be available during normal route hours.
To schedule a ride, please call Chapel Hill Transit Reservations at (919) 969-5544 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday-Saturday) and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Sunday).
Downtown Residents
The Town of Chapel Hill will make every effort to keep people who are attending the event from parking in neighborhoods. Access to neighborhoods will be limited by barricades and police personnel at the roads leading into your neighborhood. This will begin early in the evening.
- Residents of the neighborhood will be able to drive in and out of the enclosed area. Tell the officer at the barricade where you live.
- Guests will also be able to enter and leave. They will need to tell the officer at the barricade exactly where they are going.
- Illegally parked vehicles (even of residents, guests) will be ticketed and towed.
- Traffic will be congested and getting past the barricades may be a slow process.
Contact Information
Police Officer Phil Smith at 919- 968-2760 ext. 134 or psmith@townofchapelhill.org or Public Information Officer Catherine Lazorko at 919-968-2743 or clazorko@townofchapelhill.org.