Living in a college town, with most of the residential houses located miles away, one doesn't get to see little trick-or-treaters going door-to-door for candy on Halloween. Most of us 18-to-21-year-old college students are too old for that anyway. But that's okay, because we have our own little celebration. We have Halloween on State Street.

It's become something of a legend in these parts; people from all over the state of Wisconsin come down to the little town of Madison just to enjoy the occasion. State Street is popular for its shops and cafes, and more importantly to American college students, its bars. Party animals like to dominate the area during weekend nights, but on Halloween weekend, that's when they really go all out.

Here's the tradition for students during this time of the year: (1) get a costume a week ahead of time, (2) go to State Street on Halloween weekend — the later, the better, (3) check out everybody's costumes and flaunt your own, (4) go absolutely, utterly wild.

When and where else could you find six guys with extremely well-toned abs walking around in G-strings for free? Especially in weather that's 12?C!

The G-string guys had been the stars of the show last year, and obliging with an encore performance, they were no less popular this year. The costume included large Afro wigs, huge sunglasses, and shoes — a necessary disguise as they certainly didn't want to be recognized back at college!

Halloween costumes usually follow the current "in" thing. Last year there were quite a number of "Monica Lewinskys" linking arms with "Bill Clintons." Darth Maul also dominated the scene, thanks to Star Wars: Episode One. When my roommate's boyfriend, Scott, decided to go as Darth Vader, he had many people grabbing his helmet mask and bellowing in his face: "I AM YOUR FATHER, LUKE!"

And when he encountered Darth Maul in the street, they started rounding each other in preparation for battle. Unfortunately, Scott's light saber was broken; he became an easy opponent. It provided great viewing pleasure.

This year we weren't so lucky. We had a chicken fight instead. Two birds reeled back when they spotted each other, then started butting beaks and pumping their fists boxer-style. Cyclops of the X-Men movie played referee. It was an interesting sight, but didn't have quite the same zing, know what I mean?

Several groups of police officers were stationed throughout State Street to make sure that things didn't get out of hand. Theirs were the only uniform that weren't costumes. They carried out their duties well, plus obliged the occasional army soldier in camouflage who wanted to take photographs with them.

Eternal favorites remain Marge Simpsons, fairy princesses (hey, you finally get to make use of your old prom dress again), pregnant nuns, and male cross-dressers. We girls frequently view the latter group in envy, watching guys strut their stuff in cheerleading uniforms and tight dresses. "Why do their legs look so good in short skirts?" we wail. "It's not fair!"

Students start venturing out from their dorms and apartments around 9pm, then swell into a gigantic crowd by the time it hits 11:30pm. The celebration usually goes on until past 1am. There's often hardly any room to move, which makes for perfect groping opportunity! But it's all in the spirit of fun.

Inhibitions are let loose during Halloween weekend, and it's the one time when college students get to go crazy before settling back into the routine of exams and assignments. Is it any wonder that they grab the opportunity to release stress when they can?

So if you ever come over to the US of A and find yourself in Madison, Wisconsin, during this time of the year, feel free to join in the fun. You don't even need a costume to be part of the crowd; just bring an open mind. And a magic wand. You never know when you might need to poke away an unwelcome hand.