News 980717-2

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Hennepin Av. is packed for the Pumpkins By Jennifer M. Fitzenberger Star Tribune Staff Writer

Tens of thousands of Smashing Pumpkins fans packed six blocks of downtown Minneapolis Friday to hear the band's much-hyped free concert and to eat greasy food and guzzle pop and beer.

Minneapolis police, who said it would be foolish to try to estimate crowd size, put about 180 officers in downtown to keep an eye on concertgoers.

Considering the size of the crowd at the Block Party -- the traditional opening of the 10-day Minneapolis Aquatennial -- police encountered very few problems, Sgt A.C. Hart said. A few people were arrested for fighting and public intoxication. One man broke his leg when he fell off a billboard he climbed at the 7th St. and Hennepin Av., he said.