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Salem draws thousands for Halloween

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 31, 2009 04:14 PM

By Jeannie Nuss and Terri Schwartz, Globe Staff

Vampires sporting sunglasses, whimsical wizards, and at least one Teletubby roamed the streets of Salem this afternoon, drinking in a magical brew of warm weather and a Halloween weekend.

Police are expecting between 80,000 -- the record turnout last year -- and 100,000 revelers in a city where the normal population is about 41,000. With the temperatures rising to near 70 this afternoon and Halloween falling on a Saturday for the first time in years, police have brought in reinforcements to ensure public safety.

Strange tableaus were everywhere. Down one street a Sherlock Holmes type snapped a photo of a Catholic cardinal hugging a metal-masked Grim Reaper. A crowd of pirates, hippies and witches swarmed a trio of Ghostbusters for photo opps on a crowded street. More than one ghoulish passerby screamed out, "I ain't afraid of no ghost."

Two costume enthusiasts in elaborate Victorian dress from Portland, Ore. were among those who posed with the Ghostbusters.

Katrina Acaster, 25, and her friend Molly Hill, 28, spent more than 20 hours crafting their ornate puffs and ruffles.

Hill, who wore a black hat complete with bird skulls the size of Ping Pong balls and a pull-down veil, packed two skirts, two bustles, four blouses, and a ballgown to dress up for their Halloween week in Boston.

"Your feathers are hitting someone in the head, dear," Hill said as Acaster adjusted her hat, which was covered in stuffed birds and had a foot-long pheasant feather protruding from the back.

So many people felt an inexplicable urge to to come to the Witch City that traffic problems on the roads there were reported this afternoon.

Adam Parchesky, a traffic reporter for the SmartRoutes service, said that at about 12:30 p.m., roadways into the city started slowing down from the 95/Route 128 split to Lowell Street in Peabody, which was the route most people were taking. Parchesky estimated it could take at least 45 minutes to navigate through the traffic into downtown Salem.

“We are expecting it to be a lot worse later on tonight,” he added.

An additional 200 officers will be at work keeping the peace, including officers from Peabody, Marblehead, Waltham, and other nearby communities. Officers, some in plainclothes, will roam the crowds and nearby streets on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, and possibly horse, said Lieutenant Conrad Prosniewski, Salem police spokesman.

Because Halloween fell on a Friday last year, Salem has had recent practice keeping the weekend trouble-free, he said.

“We are expecting a big crowd in Salem,’’ Prosniewski said. “I think the message has gotten out that this is a family event; this isn’t a frat party or a public booze fest. Public drinking is not tolerated at all.’’

The last time Oct. 31 fell on a Saturday was 1998.

Meghan Irons of the Globe staff contributed to this report.