The normal traffic of cars and shoppers on Chapel Hill's Franklin Street will yield to a crowd of thousands tonight, as superheroes, psychopaths, celebrities, goblins and ghouls convene to celebrate Halloween.

In a tradition that began about 10 years ago, crowds of costumed participants and curious observers will mingle and celebrate on the packed sidewalks and streets of Chapel Hill. With numbers of participants reaching as high as 20,000 in past years, several streets will be closed off to accommodate the heavy foot traffic of goons and goblins, said Ralph Pendergraph, chief of police in Chapel Hill. He added that a minimum of 200 Chapel Hill police officers will also be patrolling the area.

The celebration, which currently attracts local residents and college students from as far away as Virginia, did not always draw such a crowd, however. More than a decade ago, the Franklin Street Halloween "fright night" consisted only of families and small groups of teenagers gathering together to celebrate. Although several local bars advertising costume contests generated additional interest, the celebration did not swell to its current proportions until five or six years ago, Pendergraph said.

He credits some growth to a city ordinance that prohibited Halloween parties in Greenville, N.C. When the revelry was outlawed there about five years ago, part of the Halloween celebration moved to Franklin Street.

As years passed, he said, the celebration's popularity also surged with increased media attention.

"News folks have generated the idea that Franklin Street is the place to go," Pendergraph said, adding that the growing crowd makes safety a concern. "Certainly [the police department] would prefer... that the group would be smaller and this would be more manageable. There is always a possibility that something will happen."

The celebration has become safer, however, because of laws regulating alcohol at closed-street events.

"Since we don't have [the alcohol] situation anymore, two things have happened," Pendergraph explained. "One, we've had fewer injuries and accidents, and two, the age group of this event tends to be a little younger-parents will bring their small children."

He stressed that the policy-which prohibits any alcohol, in either open or closed containers, on the blocked-off streets-will be strictly enforced by officers on "fright night."

"It is a misdemeanor to possess alcohol when there is any activity as far as street closure," Pendergraph said. "We will be citing people or arresting them."

Perhaps as a result of the regulations, many spectators make the journey to "fright night" simply to take in the sights rather than to participate. This trend has led to more uncreative costumes in recent years.

"It appears that there are more people coming out to look and fewer people are coming out to be seen," Pendergraph said. "I think in years past, maybe three years ago, the costumes were more elaborate and showed more creativity on the part of folks."