Live music, booze, a mechanical bull and occasional public nudity brought together the Muncie and Ball State University communities on Saturday for the eighth annual Muncie Gras.
Thousands gathered on a two block stretch of Walnut Street to pretend it was Bourbon Street. Several tents with dance floors, bars and disc jockeys encouraged the crowd to go crazy. Yet the night was relatively tame.
Muncie police Cpt. Mark Vollmar said he's been on patrol at Muncie Gras every year and Saturday's crowd was bigger and tamer than last year. He was surprised at the large attendance because of the weather, he said. He attributed the slow night to the weather.
Every year, about a dozen officers work and have had to break up six or seven fights and make a few arrests in past years, even though they are more tolerant than usual. No fights broke out and police didn't arrest anyone Saturday, Vollmar said.
"From past experience, most people are just looking to have fun and have a good time," he said. "We never have a lot to do, people are usually well-behaved even though there's lots of drinking."
He said the cold helps police because people don't like to fight in sub-freezing temperatures. If Muncie Gras took place during the summer they would have more crowd control problems.
Cheryl Crowder, program manager of Downtown Development, said laid-back atmosphere was typical of Muncie Gras. She said the Muncie police does well with the event. People usually police themselves well too, she said, because people are more interested in having a good time than fighting.
"It's a party," Crowder said. "It's a wonderful time. It gives everybody a chance to enjoy each other's company."
She won't know how many people attended until later in the week, she said, but it was at least a few thousand.
Crowder is happy with the outcome, she said, considering how the staff had to battle the frigid cold and gusting wind early in the night. A tent collapsed about 45 minutes before gates opened, she said.
More students attended than usual. Crowder said Ball State's student media advertised Muncie Gras more this year and Downtown Development used various social networking sites to attract students.
Junior telecommunications major Jaclyn Wormsbaker said she was pleasantly surprised not to see many people getting in trouble or fighting with a crowd that huge.
She said it was her first Muncie Gras experience and it was everything she hoped it would be. Wormsbaker said every student should go at least once.
She spent most of her time at Doc's Music Hall, among a crowd that overflowed into the street.
Kristin Novak, a manager at Doc's, said the bar was filled to capacity for most of the night. A worker was at the door cycling people in and out until the crowd died down.
Muncie Gras always attracts more of a crowd than normal, she said, and even when bigger, more known acts play.
Wormsbaker said the atmosphere was "insane." She stood by the stage next to one of the giant speakers for several bands. She said the huge crowd made the show fun because the bands got into their performances and the audience responded.
"Watching bands was the highlight," she said. "It was really cool to see local bands coming together to play music. Everyone was energetic and hyped up. It was a really good turnout."
Novak said she also was surprised the crowd behaved so well. Despite people getting drunk and acting crazier than normal, the night was laid back and peaceful.
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