I feel like one of the biggest surprises of freshman year was the realization that Halloween did not, in fact, peak when we were in fourth grade. If you're on a college campus, you know the week before Halloween to be one long excuse for a party. The question begins a few weeks in advance, "So what are your costumes?" (there's never just one...) You and your friends strive to come up with the ultimate group costume, as well as a few other witty ones that other people probably won't have thought of.

UNC is unique in that even our college town gets in on it.

The Franklin Street celebration began in the 1980s as a pretty small event. Students from the University and people from Chapel Hill milled around on Franklin Street, with the highlight of the event being creative costumes. It grew every year until 2008, peaking from 2004 to 2007 with about 80,000 people. Chapel Hill's population during the school year is about 55,000, so about 25,000 out-of-towners were making the trip each year to attend Chapel Hill's not-so-spooky celebration. In 2008, the event's size was reduced when the Town of Chapel Hill stopped providing a shuttle service from park and ride lots to Franklin Street. Just 35,000 people showed up that year, less than half of the prior attendance.

Much of Franklin Street is closed during the celebration, as are many of the streets surrounding the area. This is done largely with barriers created by school buses and fire trucks, as well as police blockades.

The event begins at 8 p.m. each year, and this year was closed at 10:30 p.m. though previously has remained open for longer. This year, 15,000 attended Chapel Hill's Homegrown Halloween - not even the population of the University.

Of course, there's more to the history of UNC's Halloween than the celebration on Franklin Street.

In 1907, a DTH article discussed the Halloween Party put on by the Young Ladies' Aid Society of the Methodist Church, with bobbing for apples "without which no Halloween party is complete" and "truly terrifying" witches that greeted the guests. 200 guests attended the party, and they were reportedly reluctant to leave.

In 1917, Halloween was celebrated with a big pumpkin carving bonfire and dance at the country club.

In 1929, the celebration was a Halloween dance and dinner in the dining hall from 6:30 to 8:30. This celebration appears to have been the first university-sponsored event to celebrate Halloween.

In 1936, Halloween was celebrated with a similar dance, and Lane's Flower Shop encouraged men to get their dates a bouquet rather than a box of chocolates (seems a little weird for Halloween, doesn't it?)

In 1951, residents of Alderman hosted a party in the parlor of their residence hall from 8:00 to 11:00 on the night of Halloween.

In 1959, fraternity Halloween parties were mentioned in the Daily Tar Heel for the first time. It looks like Alpha Kappa Psi was first to start this time-honored, continuing tradition.

In 1968, an article was published with the headline "Pumpkins Meet Frankenstein". Carolina Student Union hosted a pumpkin carving contest in front of the Campus Y on Halloween. The pumpkins were awarded prizes for Best Individual Entry, Best Entry on Behalf of an Organization, Most Unique, and Largest. Winners received a plaque, tickets to the Rascals, and a mum.

In 1978, there was a Halloween Moonlight Fun Run, where you could "Outrun Ghosts, Ghoulds, and Goblins!"

In Fall 1981, residents of Mangum Residence Hall decided that they wanted a new ice machine. When they found out that the university would not cover the cost of the machine under its enhancement policy, the residents took matters into their own hands, and raised the money with a haunted house staged inside the dorm itself. Beginning in 1982, with the second annual haunted house, the proceeds from ticket and t-shirt sales were donated to the Jaycee Burn Center. The event lasted until the mid-1990s, and, most important of all, the 1981 residents got their new ice machine.

In 1989, John Bland wrote a newspaper article that seems pretty similar to the take on Halloween here on campus today. First, he expressed a huge disdain for the California Raisins that had apparently taken over a few years prior, but commented on the excitement when you see someone dressed in the same costume as you. Secondly, he mocked Greenville for the fact that their city council had closed down Halloween on account of safety concerns. Finally, he explained that his going as Bill Murray from Caddyshack was mostly to use the golf bag for holding beers.

The 1992 description of Halloween (the last available in the DTH archives), provides insight into popular costumes of the day. It's not so different - Cat in the Hat, Jesus, Condom Man, Pink Panther... But those California Raisins were apparently still around too.

Here are just some examples of what 2017 might have looked like...