Jan 282016
 

Don’t miss Salem’s sweetest event of the year! Salem Main Streets, the Salem Chamber of Commerce, Destination Salem, and local retailers, restaurants, and businesses invite you to attend the 14th annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. A decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping await you Feb. 5-7th!

For example, in celebration of the chocolate aspect of the Festival, many of Salem’s finest restaurants will feature special chocolate offerings on their menus, including desserts, cocktails, and inventive sauces during the weekend of Feb. 6-7th.

Elsewhere, participating Salem retailers will offer innovative displays and items geared toward chocolate and Valentine’s Day, ranging from a chocolate fondue fountain to discounts on jewelry.

“This year,” reveals Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets, “we are introducing a new in-store promotion called ‘Sweet 10%‘ – make a full-price purchase at one participating downtown business and get 10% off your purchase at next participating business!”

We also have a record-breaking TWENTY-THREE ice sculptures that will be placed all over the downtown and various entry points on Feb. 6th.

Kylie says, “I’m really excited to see some of our new businesses getting involved (Jolie Tea Company, The Bridge at 211, and TBT Post are just a few examples), the return of some traditional favorites (including a replica of The Friendship down near the water, thanks to the National Park Service), and some businesses thinking way outside the box – Rockafellas is actively working on an ice bar that will be built outside on their patio!”

Be sure to make plans for a special evening stroll on Saturday, Feb. 6th, when sculptures will be temporarily illuminated.

A full list of participating businesses and promotions will be available in brochures distributed around town and online at www.salemmainstreets.org.

When asked why she thought the Festival has had such staying power in the community, Kylie offered, “Quite frankly, there’s nothing else like it going on. By the time February rolls around, the “Ice Pikachu & Charizardmagic” of winter has faded away – this event helps brings that magic back, as the ice sculptures truly transform the downtown. People have recovered from the holidays and they’re eager to get outside, walk around, and visit their favorite businesses again. Plus, who can really say no to chocolate?”

But is chocolate beneficial to you? Besides it tasting so good?

Looking across the Internet, we found this description of the redeeming values of chocolate from Hy-Vee, operator of over 230 retail outlets in the Midwest.

“Chocolate contains iron, potassium, fiber and some of our favorite antioxidants, flavonoids. The flavonoids found in chocolate may be able to do things like relax blood vessels and promote healthy circulation, both of which may lead to healthier blood pressure levels. Chocolate also contains polyphenols, antioxidants that protect the body from free radical damage. Of course, the darker the chocolate, the healthier it is. Start with 57% cacao dark chocolate, or even semi-sweet, and work your way up until you find the perfect dark chocolate fit for you.”

It’s almost as if they were also inviting you to attend the Salem’s So Sweet kick-off event, a Chocolate and Wine Tasting, on Friday, Feb. 5th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, at Colonial Hall at Rockafellas, 227 Essex St., where you can indeed sample all levels of chocolate and find your perfect shade and taste.

This luscious tasting event features wine and chocolate samplings from premier Salem restaurants, stores, and sweet shops. Tickets can now be purchased over the phone by calling 978-744-0004, online at http://salemmainstreets.org/festivals/salem-so-sweet/, or in person at the Salem Chamber of Commerce, 265 Essex Street, Suite 101. This event is the highlight of the season and sells out quickly!

Other activities include:

  • The Salem Trolley offers trolley rides around the festival route (weather permitting) during the day on Feb. 6th and 7th for a discounted price. Pick-up locations will be at the Visitor Center, Pickering Wharf, and near Rockafellas on Washington Street.
  • New this year, Salem Parks Recreation and Community Services will operate a small skating rink at the Museum Place Mall Fountain. Come out for hot cocoa and family fun on Feb. 6th from 5 to 8 pm and Feb. 7th from noon to 4 pm!

Visit our website for more events and details about the festival as they become available: www.salemmainstreets.org – or follow our Facebook page for all the latest updates https://www.facebook.com/salemsosweet.

And, of course don’t forget to post pictures as you visit Salem MA with your loved ones for a sweet experience during Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival.

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Jan 102016
 

RodinLet’s face it, if you’re not a football fan, the next few weekends will leave you on your own as the sports aficionados in your household are glued to the couch watching NFL Playoffs. What will you do? Consider visiting the Peabody Essex Museum which is open on weekends from 10am to 5pm.

What do they have at the PEM? A diverse selection to entertain, inform and intrigue (especially today as the rain drops silently fall outside).

For example, just opened on Saturday, is Alchemy of the Soul: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, a most ambitious collaboration between the Afro-Cuban artist and her husband, musician and composer Neil Leonard.

PEM describes the exhibition “Through large-scale blown-glass sculptures, paintings, photographs and evocative soundscapes, the artist draws on the structural forms found in the abandoned sugar mills and rum factories of her childhood island home. Incorporating the sweet smell of rum, this multi-sensory exhibition creates an intoxicating re-conceptualization of the often-brutal history of the Cuban sugar industry, offering a visceral experience that ignites the senses and our emotional awareness of place, memory, identity and labor.”

It runs until April 3, 2016.

Interested in making the PEM a weekend event (especially during baseball, hockey and basketball seasons)? Here are some upcoming exhibitions and events for the next 6 months.

  • Intersections: Anila Quayyum Agha

February 6 — July 10, 2016
Intersections is an immersive single room installation that bathes the visitor in a geometric array of light and shadow. Inspired by traditional Islamic architectural motifs, Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s laser-cut steel lantern conjures the design of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, a historic site of cross-cultural intersection where a thousand years ago Islamic and Western cultures thrived in coexistence. Agha, an internationally renowned award-winning artist, creates mixed-media works that engage topics ranging from global politics and cultural multiplicity, to mass media and gender roles.

  • Asia in Amsterdam: The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age

February 27 — June 5, 2016
Amsterdam in the 17th century was a vibrant city with global connections. The largest and most powerful trade and shipping company in the world, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) filled Dutch homes with Asian porcelain, lacquer, sumptuous textiles, diamonds and spices. Inspired by these novel imports, Dutch potters, textile designers and jewelers created works of art we now perceive as distinctly Dutch. Artists such as Rembrandt, Willem Kalf, Jan Steen and Pieter Claesz were also quick to incorporate these luxuries into their paintings. Co-organized by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, this exhibition of nearly 200 superlative Asian and Dutch works of art explores the transformative impact that Asian luxuries had on Dutch art and life in the 17th century.

  • Rodin: Transforming Sculpture

May 14 — September 5, 2016
Whether working in plaster, marble or bronze on an intimate or monumental scale, Auguste Rodin captured the emotional and psychological complexities of human beings in ways that few sculptors before or after him have achieved. He also profoundly changed the language of sculpture by playing with accident and emphasizing the act of creating rather than completing a work of art. Rodin favored fragmentation and recombination as the principal expression of the significance he attached to change and transformation as the keys to creativity. Featuring sculptures and drawings, this thematic exhibition highlights the drama and experimentation that have established Rodin as one of the greatest sculptors of all time. Originally titled Metamorphosis: Rodin’s Studio, the exhibition was organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, in collaboration with the Musée Rodin, Paris.

The Peabody Essex Museum is located at 161 Essex St, Salem, MA. For more info Call 866‐745‐1876 or visit pem.org.

(Image credit: Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, large version, 1903. Patinated plaster for bronze casting, Paris, Musée Rodin. © Musée Rodin. Photo by Christian Baraja)

 

 

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Dec 052015
 
Holiday window from 2013. What will you find this year?

Holiday window from 2013. What will you find this year?

Picture taking is an activity that so many more people do these days, especially on their cell phones, that we have added another dimension to our annual Holiday Window Contest which encourages Salem merchants to decorate their storefront windows with images of the season.

Now everyone wins during the Holiday Window Contest! Share YOUR pictures of your favorite holiday windows on Instagram or on our Facebook page with ‪#‎salemholidaywindows‬ – we’ll pick 5 winners between today and Christmas to get a small prize from a local business! (Hint: your chances improve if it’s a window that’s officially competing!).

Holiday Window Participants

Cabot Wealth Management – 216 Essex Street
CinemaSalem – Museum Place Mall
Coon’s Card & Gift Shop / Penelope’s Pet Boutique – 226 Essex Street
The Coven’s Cottage – 190 Essex Street
Derby Joe – 142 Derby Street
Flying Saucer Pizza Company – 118 Washington Street
For Kids Only Afterschool – 194 Essex Street
Fringe Salon – 73 Wharf Street
Gulu Gulu Café – 247 Essex Street
The Happy Sunflower – 78 Wharf Street
Hedrington’s – 61 Wharf Street
The House of Seven Gables – 115 Derby Street
J. Mode – 17 Front Street
Kan.del –Museum Place Mall
Laura Lanes Skin Care – 242 Essex Street
LightShed Photography – 79 Washington Street
Melita Fiore – 83 Washington Street
Modern Millie Vintage & Consignments – 3 Central Street
The New England Dog Biscuit Company – 7 Central Street
Opus – 87 Washington Street
Pamplemousse – 185-189 Essex Street
Re-find – 72 Washington Street
Re-find Men’s – 244 Essex Street
RJ Coins & Jewelry – 68 Wharf Street
Roost & Company – 40 Front Street
Rouge Cosmetics – 322 Derby Street
Salem Arts Association – 179 Essex St
Salem Collective of Artists & Musicians – 179 Essex St
Salemdipity – 86 Wharf Street
Silver Moon Comics & Collectibles–Museum Place Mall
Tibet Arts & Healing – 230 Essex Street
Trolley Depot – 191 Essex Street
Turtle Alley Chocolates – 177 Essex Street
Village Silversmith – 186 Essex Street
Witch City Consignment & Thrift – 301 Essex Street
Witch Tee’s –173 Essex Street

From a downtown holiday tree in Lappin Park to evergreen wreaths with candy cane lamp posts, Salem is dressed for the season and welcomes you. Come, take part in our window contest as you do your holiday shopping.

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Nov 292015
 

Christmas is a time for giving, a time when Salem shares with visitors & the community-at-large the gift of a very special holiday house tour that, much like the gift that keeps on giving, is much more than a house tour.

Christmas in Salem, thought to be the nation’s longest running holiday house tour, invites visitors to tour not one, not two, but 12 homes spanning a variety of histories and architectural styles in Salem’s historic McIntire District from December 4 – 6. These homes, beautifully decorated for the holiday season, are inspired by a 12 Days of Christmas theme.

Now in its 36th year, Christmas in Salem, produced by Historic Salem Inc., is a wonderful opportunity to visit one of the region’s most storied cities. Tour goers are encouraged to enjoy everything the city has to offer, including local restaurants and shops during the holiday season.

Additionally, a complimentary trolley takes visitors from downtown parking locations to the tour route, providing historical information and a festive ride that will get everyone into the holiday spirit.

Christmas in SalemThe Preview Candlelight Tour (for advance ticket holders only) will be held on Friday, December 4th from 5:30 – 8:30pm and will feature selected homes. On Saturday, December 5th from 10:30am – 4:30pm and Sunday, December 6th from 11:30am – 4:30pm, all sites will be open for tours.

Prices are $25 each for Historic Salem, Inc. members and $30 each for the general public. Tickets may be purchased in advance by visiting ChristmasinSalem.org or by calling Historic Salem, Inc. at 978-745-0799. Deadline for advance ticket sales is December 2nd at 5pm.

Tickets for the house tours can also be purchased at First Unitarian Church of Salem at 316 Essex Street, on December 5th and 6th for $35 each.

There are a couple of requests to take note of:

  • Out of courtesy to homeowners and their historic floors, please do not wear high heels.
  • Please do not bring children younger than six unless carried in a Snugli.
  • Food and drink are not allowed in any of the homes.
  • Photography of any kind is not permitted without express, written consent of Historic Salem, Inc.

Christmas in Salem is presented by Historic Salem, Inc. an advocacy group dedicated to preserving Salem’s historic resources and educating the community to their value. The historic house tour and other fundraising efforts of Historic Salem, Inc. are the primary source of funds for the restoration of the National Historic Landmark, the Nathaniel Bowditch House.

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Nov 232015
 

There's SantaTake a break from your holiday shopping this Friday to join friends & neighbors in the community of Salem as we celebrate two traditions: Santa’s Arrival and the lighting of Salem’s Holiday Tree.

This year, though, Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem have combined these two separate activities into one flowing event to maximize the fun factor for children and adults.

And with the projected weather forecast calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 60 and a low of 47, we expect a good sized crowd!

Santa Claus will arrive on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel (located at 18 Washington Square W) promptly at 6pm, then with assistance from the Salem Fire Department will be brought to street level where he will lead a procession down the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall to Lappin Park (next to the Bewitched Statue at the intersection of Essex & Washington streets).

Holiday Tree 031From there we invite you to join Santa and Mayor Kimberley Driscoll for the Holiday Tree Lighting.

Bring the entire family out for carols, festivities, and fun!

Salem Main Streets would like to thank the City of Salem, the Hawthorne Hotel, MeetingHouse Church, North Shore Marine, All Star Collision & Towing, the Salem Common Neighborhood Association, and the many other community partners who make these special events possible.

Lights and decorations for the Holiday Tree were made possible by individual contributions and donations from a number of local businesses, including significant donations from Salem’s October visitors.

For more information about any of these events, contact Kylie Sullivan, Salem Main Streets Executive Director, at 978-744-0004 or kylie@salemmainstreets.org, or visit http://salemmainstreets.org/festivals/holiday-happenings/santa-arrives-in-salem/ and follow Salem Main Streets on Facebook and Twitter.

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