Inspired by this year’s relatively quiet Halloween on the Strip, Carbondale City Councilman Larry Briggs is calling for a revival of the festival-like Halloween celebrations of yesteryear much too soon.

Briggs has the right intentions trying to resurrect the good vibes flowing between the city and students at original, non-violent Halloween celebrations is a noble effort.

But Briggs should realize the mayhem of Halloweens 1996 and 1994 seriously impair his plan no one is going to jump on his bandwagon when we have only had two peaceful Halloweens in the last four years. A betting person would shun those odds.

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Besides, Briggs seems to be focusing on that shaky idea while ignoring the promise of two other viable celebration alternatives. And these alternatives would be more of benefit to students than a revamped Halloween.

The city and the University can work together to turn First Cellular’s new Main Street Pig Out celebration into a full-fledged festival next fall, and develop a similar celebration in the spring. Scrap any Halloween ideas and use the new positive energy in Carbondale for a better purpose.

This year’s peace on the Strip is not enough incentive for Carbondale or the University to embrace Briggs’ idea and the University’s decision to keep fall break intact on the 1998-1999 school calendar is a strong indication of that truth.

But look at how successful September’s Pig Out was. Students and community members were able to enjoy themselves together and with the presence of alcohol. Why not invite area restaurants to join the Pig Out and include more activities for everyone to enjoy? The celebration can even extend through later hours, so that students and other adults can party on the Strip without the menacing aura of Halloween present.

The Pig Out is the celebration that students need during the fall. Then in the spring, these same ideas can spur the development of a new spring festival to replace Springfest.

Springfest and Halloween once were twin nemeses to SIUC’s academic image some even believed Springfest was just Halloween in a different semester.

Bands were invited to play for crowds of students and visitors on the SIUC campus during Springfest, and the alcohol flowed. But outbreaks of beer-can throwing, arrests and underage drinking killed Springfest for good in 1991. The official Halloween celebration had fallen two years earlier, although partiers stuck in the past still continued to take the Strip Halloween weekends.

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Springfest has been gone for six years, and Undergraduate Student Government President Dave Vingren says he would like to see the University and the city work on a new spring event. This is an idea that deserves attention.

If the city and the University help develop the Pig Out and Springfest as better ideas for celebrations, SIUC and Carbondale would be known for listening to students and helping them to enjoy their college years.

This year’s successful non-Halloween was just the beginning for all of us. We can do much more with these ideas.

And since Briggs is not afraid of ideas, he should campaign to make the Pig Out festival larger and a new festival in the spring more than ideas. He should help to make them realities.