Despite heavy rain and strong wind, many University students attended the Carlotta Street Halloween block party — proving students are able to leap over obstacles and party hard.Hordes of costumed party enthusiasts have covered Carlotta Street for nearly 30 years in a row to celebrate the coming of All Hallows Eve.”It’s the biggest block party that happens in the city,” said Jared Loftus, President of North Gate Merchants Association and owner of the Tiger District.The block party is traditionally held the Saturday of Halloween weekend, but it took place Friday Oct. 30, to avoid game day commotion.The street party was able to steer clear of gameday activities, but it couldn’t avoid the torrential downpour of rain. “I was impressed. There were over a thousand people who showed up,” Loftus said. “But it rained for about 18 hours straight, and that really kept people from coming out.”Local bands were lined up to provide musical entertainment for the partygoers, despite the weather. But, at some points throughout the night, rain fell so heavily the musicians were unable to perform.Prom Date’s equipment received water damage from the rain, said Elizabeth Lagarde, the band’s publicist.The members of the neighborhood and the North Gate Merchants Association put on the event.”It takes so much effort to put on the event,” said Loftus. “We couldn’t just postpone it to the next night. You’ve only got one shot.”The association plans to purchase rain insurance for the event in the future, Loftus said.”I was all prepped and ready to go,” said Alex Stewart, engineering sophomore. “But it started raining, so we didn’t head out there.”A police command unit of more than 40 officers was present at the event to ensure everything ran smoothly and no one’s safety was compromised, Loftus said.The police department and the North Gate Merchants Society worked together since March to choose the best locations for command posts.”I don’t think the police ran into any problems,” Loftus said. “Everyone behaved fine.”Loftus said the neighborhood comes together to put on the party without corporate sponsors. However, the association would like to work with the neighborhood to eventually find a partner to help fund the event as it continues to grow.—-Contact Lindsay Nunez at [email protected]