Little red devils rode their broomsticks past swarms of He-man clones yesterday in the Yard, where several hundred local school children took part in the third annual Freshman Halloween Party.

The Harvard Office of Public Service hosted the afternoon Halloween party, sponsoring activities ranging from broom races to "trick-or-treating."

But the highlight of the fun, billed as an alternative to the potential dangers of door-to-door "trick-or-treating," came in the basement of Matthews Hall, where a Haunted House awaited the teeming tides of tiny tots.

Six-year-old Regina Hustin, alias Donald Duck, wasn't convinced that the freshmen "ghosts" who popped out of the darkest corners were fake, and she clung to her Harvard guide for reassurance.

After their bout with terror, the kids were off to "trick or treat" in the freshman dorms. When a stop at Weld yielded only one piece of hard candy, Jomar Benzan, seven, said "it stinks."

Luckily, the Din and Tonics took care of the candy blues by leading the visitors in a rendition of "Conjunction Junction," as they headed off to broom races and a pretzel eating contest.

Good Clean Fun

Jeff Yang '89, who led a group of Cambridge kids through the various activities, called the party "a safe and clean way of giving them a chance to have fun."

Bill Gump '85-'86, director of the Public Service Program that helped coordinate the party, said the festivities benefitted the Harvard student planners as well as the Cambridge kids. The kids felt "special" being shown around by Harvard student guides and the Harvard students were reminded of "how much fun Halloween is, without the madness of a Harvard party," Gump said.