This weekend I’m back home instead of being in Madison. I’ll be missing out on the festivities…oh well.
The city has hired a large number of personel from a private security firm and are really locking down on the Big Brother mentality with cameras. This year’s celebration precautions are a definite response to the increasingly violent celebrations of recent years. It’s a shame since Halloween in Madison is supposed to be a mellow time to dress up, be with friends, and do some serious People Watching.
The Isthmus is blogging the event live this weekend, with plenty of links to other people blogging about their experiences.
The UW School of Journalism has twenty-three “embedded” student journalists. There’s a lot of background on Madison’s Halloween celebrations on their website too. Good stuff.
My best Madison Halloween memory? Unfortunately, it happened when I was an RA at the freshmen dorm. Housing wanted a strict limit on guests but left the backdoors unlocked so students could just let their friends in. It felt like catching water with a sieve. A couple of us ended up chasing an unknown guy dressed in gorilla suit.
We were walking down the men’s wing on my floor when we saw him lounging in front of the room at the very end of the hallway. He froze when we asked to see his pass, looked down at the plastic cup he was holding, looked back up again, and took a step back. Of course, we asked if we could see what was in the cup. He actually took the time to think about this, and then stuck his cup-holding hand into the doorway next to him. I wonder if he felt that the cup was unseen by our eyes, we wouldn’t bust him. No such luck. We put on a Stern Face, and then the guy turn and ran down the stairwell. Hilarious. Seeing such stupidity ending with a quick flight while wearing a gorilla suit was priceless.
If I were going, I’d probably dress as an old school aviator. I’ve been watching a lot of steampunk animation lately, with an emphasis on flying and engaging outfits.
Quidditch goggles, crisp white dress shirt, white silk scarf stolen from my housemate, leather jacket from my mom’s closet, and a pair of thrifted khakis tucked neatly into my oxblood 14 eye lace-up boots. I’ll have to skip on the cap, unless someone has a good and accessible alternative. Perhaps I’ll stitch one up. I think I just want to dress up everyday! Since Halloween does fall on a Tuesday…oh heck, I can still do it!
Please watch this “commercial” advertising for Girls’s Costume Warehouse. Sexy Mustard! It’s hilarious and everything we’ve talked about for Halloween and gender.
ETA: People have posted a lot of nice photos on FLICKR from this year’s Halloween on State St. in Madison.
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