By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 918-1046

Chapel Hill -- It's simple!

If you can walk to Franklin Street to enjoy Halloween on Oct. 31, then you're welcome.

But if you can't, town officials said, it will be a waste of time coming because getting into town will be tough, if not impossible. And even if you do manage to sneak through the roadblocks, there will be nowhere to park.

That was the message delivered Friday during a news conference during which town, university and downtown officials hammered home the message that the town's "Homegrown Halloween" is for the people who live in Chapel Hill.

Starting last year, officials set out to greatly reduce the number of people who gather on Franklin Street to celebrate Halloween. The crowd swelled to more than 70,000 people in 2007, which stretched town resources to the limit.

"There comes a breaking point when there are too many people in too small an area," said Mayor Kevin Foy. "If you can walk to Franklin Street, then come. If you have to drive, don't come."

The "Homegrown Halloween" concept paid off last year. Crowd estimates came in at about 45,000.

Police Chief Brian Curran said safety is the No. 1 reason the town has launched an effort to reduce crowd sizes on Halloween.

Such large crowds have raised numerous public safety concerns related to personal and property crime, crowd panic and large-scale civil disorders.

Curran cited fist fights and alcohol abuse among the problems the town is trying to prevent. He said Halloween night is one of the busiest for UNC Hospital's emergency room.

In addition, Curran warned that the N.C. Highway Patrol will be patrolling the town's perimeter and checking for drunken drivers.

"We don't want to be inhospitable, but that's the way it is," Curran said, echoing Foy's message about staying away from Chapel Hill if you have to drive.

Over the years, managing Halloween has been an expensive proposition for the town. In 2006, the cost climbed to $230,000 when an estimated 70,000 people attended the event.

Last year, it cost the town $203,957, and in 2007 the cost topped out at $221,490.

Plans call for closing Franklin Street to traffic at 9 p.m. and reopening it at midnight.

Rosemary Summers, director of the Orange County Health Department, urged anyone with flu-like symptoms to stay away from the event.

"Anytime you have a large event like this, it's always good to stay home so you don't infect other people," Summers said.

The town will work again with downtown bar and restaurant owners to restrict alcohol sales after 1 a.m. All ABC permittees among the bars and restaurants in downtown Chapel Hill will not allow customers to enter or re-enter after 1 a.m.