By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
Halloween night in Kent began slowly for Sgt. Ed Wheeler of the Kent Police Department.
It probably would not end that way.
Wheeler, like all 42 members of the city's police department, spent Saturday evening patrolling the downtown Kent area in anticipation of the thousands of costumed revelers expected to celebrate during the city's unofficial Halloween celebration.
Many of the officers did not begin their long shifts until 8 p.m., but Wheeler started patrolling "party" streets and neighborhoods hours before at 5 p.m. In preparation, he got a good night's sleep the night before and grabbed dinner early in the day " while he still could.
"We expect it every year," Wheeler said. "We know it's going to be busy."
The Kent State University graduate has spent seven years with the department, and this year marked his eighth Halloween. From the wheel of his patrol car, he cruised down University Drive, College Avenue, Sherman, Linden, North and South Lincoln streets and the private allotments, including Whitehall Terrace and University Townhomes.
On most streets, swirling leaves and black squirrels were more prevalent than skateboarding bananas or tennis-playing cavemen. But, by 5:55 p.m., the first signs of costumed life showed up at the corner of Sherman and East Main streets where Fred Flintstone, a Viking and a hamburger all tossed a friendly wave at Wheeler's cruiser.
"Early in the day, before people start getting liquored up, there's families down here," Wheeler said. "They're having a good time, just like that."
In the downtown area, young children flocked to costume parties at the Vineyard and Catalyst churches while families with strollers ate dinner at Ray's Place and the Pufferbelly. School-aged students watched a movie on the 30-foot inflatable screen in Home Savings Plaza, where Main Street Kent and Kent State University sponsored the evening's alcohol-free party. And witches and ghosts appeared on downtown buildings projected from spotlights.
But the night was young.
Arrests, Wheeler said, will take place. Last year, nearly 30 people appeared at the special session of the Kent branch of Portage County Municipal Court, held the Sunday after the Halloween festivities to process all the people arrested the night before.
That same arraignment session is set to begin today at 1:30 p.m. And as always, a PARTA bus was staged behind the police department to act as a temporary holding facility.
"You get that many people in close proximity, and you add alcohol, I'm sure there's going to be arrests," Wheeler said.