Partygoers fill Kent streets for annual celebration

Eating, drinking and spreading Halloween cheer. All of this took place in downtown Kent Saturday night as masses of students and townspeople came together for Kent’s famed celebration.

“It was crazy,” said Denise Sapienza, manager of Mugs Brew Pub. “We had to kick a lot of people out, like a guy who decided to start peeing next to the front door inside.”

And, yes, alcohol played a key role in the usual Halloween craziness that has become quite well-known downtown.

“I really think drinking was the thing to do for Halloween,” said Shannon Balogh, junior fine arts major and Ray’s Place bartender. “It’s just tradition at Kent.”

While some chose to head downtown in their everyday attire, most went in costume to take part in the night’s events. Costumes included movie and television characters such as Napoleon Dynamite, Elliot from E.T. and members of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. There also was a breathalyzer/police officer team and various risque costumes.

 “No one had to do the whole ‘show me your boobs’ thing at bars because pretty much everyone dressed was some kind of a whore,” Balogh said.

While some chose mini-skirts and revealing shirts, others chose homemade costumes with their own personal creative touch.

“I saw a guy who painted himself all silver, had a tap on his head and was dressed as a keg,” Sapienza said.

The crowd was a mixture of students, alumni and townspeople who came out to see the different costumes students came up with.

“I saw a 7-foot-tall penis and 50 Cent,” said Don Johnson, a Kent resident who dressed as a character from “Miami Vice” to watch the festivities.

Alumni did not let distance get in the way of returning to Kent for Halloween. Kristin Neagle, an alumna who now lives in New York City, decided to come back for this weekend.

“I came back to see all of my friends and spend Halloween with them in Kent,” Neagle said. “It’s just always such a great time that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

And this weekend Kent State students were out later than usual as bars stayed open an extra hour because of daylight-saving time.

“The night’s been really cool,” said Jason Chamberlain, senior art history major. “It always is.”

Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Marissa Mikolak at [email protected].