City officials and Madison police spoke Thursday night about their plans for the upcoming Freakfest 2007.""
Joel Plant, Alcohol Policy Coordinator and assistant to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said preparations for this year Halloween are coming along much like they were last year. He said the big change is Frank Productions who is bringing in private funding and sponsorships.
""Last year we were successful in raising zero dollars in private funding,"" Plant said, adding that private funding takes a huge burden off the expenses the city traditionally has to bare.
According to Dave Maynard of Frank Productions, Pepsi will be the primary sponsor of Halloween and will now call the event ""Freakfest 2007, brought to you by Mountain Dew."" Maynard said Milio's sandwiches will also be a sponsor.
As a result of some of the sponsorship money raised, a third stage will be set up in Peace Park. Maynard said local artists will play that stage. He said a costume contest is in the works as well.
Still, Maynard is keeping quiet about who is going to headline Saturday's event. He said several national acts have been booked already, but he will most likely wait until early October to announce any - the same time tickets are to go on sale.
Plant said the ticket procedure will be much like last year, except for the possibility of a $7 charge on Saturday night. Friday night remains free but will be fenced off.
Plant said tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster.com and also through the University Bookstore.
And while Halloween and Homecoming coincide again this year, the Madison Police Department expects no additonal troubles - which were few and far between - than last year. MPD Central District Capt. Mary Schauf said police are preparing for the event based on experiences last year.
""A lot of our operational elements will be the same as last year,"" Schauf said. ""The costs continue to be a concern for everyone ... but we also don't want to take a chance on safety.""
Schauf also said the popular mounted patrol or ""the big four-legged ambassadors"" will be on State Street again this year.
