By Alexandra Graves
Madison Magazine
Special To Channel 3000

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is famous for many things: a beautiful campus, enthusiastic fans and delicious dairy products. The university is also infamous for many things, and at the top of that list is a riotous Halloween history.

Halloween on State Street hails back to the late 1970s, when impromptu gatherings of costume wearers and people watchers began to grow, drawing crowds of about five thousand people. By the 1980s, a student organization was sponsoring the event and attendance had soared to over one hundred thousand revelers. It wasn't until 2002 that the Madison brand of Halloween took hold, complete with riots and tear gas.

Flash forward to 2009. You can see clearly now, the tear gas is gone.

"In the last three years, we’ve had a party without any problems," says Joel DeSpain, Madison police spokesman. "It's really not our party anymore."

That's thanks in large part to Frank Productions, the company responsible for turning a truly frightening night into something merely freaky. Freakfest, now in its third year, is the city's annual effort to keep crowds entertained, and it seems to be working. Arrests are down, costs are decreasing, attendance is stable and bands seek out the event.

"We just wanted to create an event that Madison can be proud of," says David Maynard, vice president of Frank Productions. "It's become more about coming out and having a good time and seeing who's on stage, rather than 'Let's go down to Madison and see if we can (anger) the police.'"

Maynard says the Frank family has been in Madison for over forty years, and wanted to return the event to its roots as a good-natured party focused on creative costumes and live entertainment.

This year's Freakfest will get the Franks, and Madison, even closer to that goal. Musical acts both local and national promise great theatrics, and costume prizes like flat screen televisions and vacations are sure to bring out the best in costume creation.