News – Page 45 – Salem Main Streets

And Now for Something Completely Different in Salem MA

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Oct 282015

What isn’t different in Salem MA during Halloween what with all the witch-stuff, ghostbusters, zombie nurses, etc.? How about these two alternative events for Friday Oct. 30th evening: the First Annual Spice Eating Challenge at Artists’ Row and the Salem Classical production Songs of the Supernatural, produced with support from Salem Main Streets and Creative Salem.

Deborah Greel, Public Art Planner for the City of Salem (Department of Planning and Community Development) describes both events as having an “appeal to tourists but definitely geared for locals too.”

The Heat is ON

Step up to the 1st Annual #Salem MA Wicked Hot Spice Tasting Challenge!!! It will be conveniently located in one of our hottest creative spaces, Artists’ Row, and hosted by Karen Scalia of Salem Food Tours (which is itself located at Artists’ Row). The Challenge will run from 6-7pm, rain or shine. Sign up sheet to be a taster available night of the event.

“The tastings will be four types of mashed chili peppers,” explains Scalia. “Four levels of hot fun – from mild, medium, hot, and SUPER HOT!”

Too afraid to try the heat??? Then just come on down to cheer the poor souls on!! Bwahahahahahaha

The chilis are being supplied by Salem Spice, which also will have them for sale during the event.

“We are thrilled to stage this free community event,” states Scalia. “It’s a fun and exciting way to start Halloween weekend in Salem, a fantastic way to celebrate Artists’ Row, and a great way to support our local fire department.”

Salem Fire Department Local 172 will be in attendance selling tee shirts to raise money for local fire station amenities (which are usually paid for out of pocket by fire-fighters).

As for just what makes chili peppers such a hot deal? According to the website chilipeppermadness.com, “That spiciness we all love and crave comes from a compound called capsaicin that is found in all hot peppers. Interestingly enough, capsaicin is found in no other plant than the chili pepper. A single drop of this substance combined with 100,000 parts water is still noticeably spicy.”

As for advice when the heat is too much to beat? The website advises “Don’t Drink The Water! Pure capsaicin is soluble in alcohol but not soluble in cold water. Hence, instead of dousing the raging flame on your tongue, the water will only spread the spices around in your mouth and make the situation worse. Instead, try sugar or milk to curb that luscious heat.”

For more info, check out the Challenge website.

And if you DARE for more, The Lobster Shanty (also on Artists’ Row) will be serving some delicious spicy HOT specials to get your taste buds roaring.

Coldly Haunting Classical

A siren haunts a rock on the river Rhine.
A princess, locked away in a Bronze Room.
A charlatan conducts sham séances.
A teenage girl, driven to suicide by cruel fate…

The Salem Witch Trials are not the only persecutions fixated on the supernatural. Explore dark magic and tragic heroines, set to hauntingly gorgeous music by Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Menotti, Lees, and Rorem, when Salem Main Streets and Salem Classical present the Salem debut of Songs of the Supernatural at the First Church in Salem (316 Essex Street) at 8pm.

Kate Kostopoulos will be the performing soprano; she is from Boston and has been pursing vocal performance for the past six years and simultaneously maintaining a career in Arts Administration.

She is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Earlier this year Kostopoulos was a Young Artist at the Atlantic Music Festival performing opera and art song repertoire.

Brendon Shapiro will be her pianist; he is a vocal coach, musical director, and conductor based in Boston. Currently serving as a staff pianist at Boston University and organist for First Parish in Arlington, MA, he has additionally been hired by numerous opera companies, recitalists, choral ensembles, and religious organizations in the area.

He also is on faculty as a vocal coach at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Shapiro holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano Performance from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Ithaca College School of Music where he won the Mary Hayes North Piano Competition Award.

Salem Classical is the home of classical music located in the heart of the pedestrian zone of historic downtown Salem. The mission of Salem Classical is to remove the boundary between the public and performers, bringing some of the greatest music ever composed to Salem. Audiences are invited to frequent concerts as a compliment to the overall cultural experience in the city of Salem that includes dozens of restaurants, shops, and museums. And witches, ghostbusters, etc., etc.

For more info go to the Classical Salem website.

This upcoming Friday night is the “calm before the storm,” so why not venture out for chili and classical? Only in Salem MA would saying that make any sense.

FYI: Rules/Advice for Arriving & Departing Halloween in Salem MA

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Oct 252015

Fun is the operative word for Halloween day and evening this coming Saturday in Salem MA. And to make it so for event sponsors, participants, observers, and folks who aren’t even taking part, the City of Salem has put some measures into place. These can be broken into things to do/not do when you get here and for when it is time to say good night.

For the full list of rules check out the Haunted Happenings website.

Getting here should be a calculated experience. There will be numerous road closures posted on various sites and twitter accounts. Check them out for the most up-to-date info as there will be road delays, detours, and blocked streets. We’ve been here/done that for enough years to know it to be a stone-cold fact. Definitely arrive before 8:30pm.

And don’t get stuck. For example if you do decide to arrive by car and look to park at the MBTA station, be advised that it will be closed from 8pm to 1am. Keep that in mind. You won’t be able to leave early.

Speaking of the MBTA, it would be an excellent alternate source of transportation as extra trains have been put on the schedule.

For if you do drive and you mistakenly or blatantly (the law does not differentiate) park in one of our many “Resident Parking” zones assigned to local residents, you will be fined and your vehicle quite possibly towed.

To make it a safe environment for all, obviously bring no weapons, real or artificial as they will be confiscated— same goes for alcohol.

When it is time to go— you will know as we put on a lively fireworks show beginning around 10:15pm and ending 10:30pm— we ask that you do go quietly into the night. There are many apartments and homes of residents on your paths exiting the city’s downtown district.

And if you had parked at the train station, (which we advised against earlier in this blog) you will not be able to get your vehicle out, as the garage will be closed from 8pm to 1am.

On the other hand, if you came by train, you have ample time to trek to the Salem Depot where the last train departs around 11pm.

Fun is the operative word for the big finale of Haunted Happenings 2015, but to make it so, everybody has to be on the same page. Be safe. Be considerate. Use common sense.

Memories… light the corners of…Derby Square— Final Salem Farmers’ Market

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Oct 212015

Bittersweet may it be, another Farmers’ Market season is coming to a close. The stands will soon be bare. The Salem weekly Thursday outdoor gatherings of vendors and buyers from 3-7pm in Derby Square ends on 10/22/15. Which means you have one more opportunity to get the freshest of the fresh, in produce and baked goods for your dinner table.

According to a Boston Globe article, “The U.S. government recommends that American adults eat 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables depending on your age, gender, and activity level,” and while a Harvard School of Public Health study is suggesting eating any more than five servings a day won’t further improve results, it does add more confirmation to that recommendation.

Researchers sifted through 16 studies involving 833,000 participants with the conclusion that going with at least the daily five servings “lowered the risk of dying by 25 percent.”

Therefore, eating fruits & veggies is a good thing. And the Salem Farmers’ Market has fruits and veggies (and bread, lobsters…).

The Farmers’ Market also has been a strong supporter of the food stamp/SNAP program. That has also been a good thing.

According to USDA at farm markets across America, overall food stamp participation and spending has increased since 2008 when the program had an average monthly participation of 28,233,000 beneficiaries, and spent a total of $37,639,640,000. In 2014, the program had an average monthly participation of 46,537,000 and spent a total of $74,157,710,000.

Those are a lot of fruits and vegetables! So get down to our final of the season Farmers’ Market before the stands are empty.

And just to keep your memories alive until next year’s Market, this link will take you to the photos page of the Farmers’ Market Facebook site (although two Salem Winter Markets are set for Nov. 22 at 3 pm and Dec. 19 at 1 pm, indoors at 217 Essex Street).

Quality, Creativity, Customer Service – Nikky Bergman Jewelry at Artists’ Row

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Oct 182015

Jewelry, like clothing, can be a way to distinguish yourself from others or to identify with others, but the owner, designer, maker, craftsperson, salesperson and marketing director of Nikky Bergman Jewelry at Artists’ Row in Salem MA feels “it can be an even more precious and personal thing.”

Nikky Bergman explains, “I am able to work one on one with clients to design and hand-make a piece of jewelry that they can’t find anywhere else! Because I am the one making every piece, I am able to truly customize designs. I also come at the jewelry discipline from an artist’s perspective, so the jewelry I make is far less traditional. This is a really relaxed environment, which is great if you have never had anything custom made before. You will not find any high pressure sales here.”

Bergman started as a metalsmith in 2001 using the techniques learned in art school (BFA in 2004 from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design and MFA in 2008 from SUNY New Paltz) to make fine-art-one-of-a-kind semi-wearable pieces.

She adds, “I loved — and still do — the art form because of its specific relationship to the body and the associations that come with wearing something. It is so rich! Now, talk about wedding & engagement rings and you add so much more meaning!”

“It is so rewarding for me to work with clients who are getting married— this is a special time in their lives. It is really neat to be part of their wedding process and make such a meaningful and lasting part of it!”

She is also excited to be included in the incubation process at Artists’ Row.

Bergman says “Artists’ Row gave me the opportunity to pursue my business full-time. I have been in business since 2011, but this is the first year I am able to devote completely to it and it has been so much fun and so rewarding!”

She continues, “It is the perfect combination of a retail venue and studio workspace for me. It is so lovely to be able to showcase what I make and show people how it’s made in the same space. It uses my time wisely, too. I can help a customer one minute and work on a new piece of jewelry the next! I think everyone on Artists’ Row is using the space as a small business, creative incubator. I know I am! I don’t know of another place like this and am so grateful to be a part of it!”

She shares her building space with candlemaker Liz Frasier the proprietress of Witch City Wicks and Bridget Alexander of The Pack Paper Company.

“Our customers benefit in that they get the latest and greatest from all of us,” Bergman explains. “I know when Liz introduces a new fragrance or I make a new design, we show it in our shop first! And we are here everyday to meet our customers, get input from them, answer questions, give them insights into how something is made.”

In fact, on Thursdays during the farmers market, she offered free fun kids activities, occasional workshops and hosted a series of visiting jewelers.

“It’s so wonderful to meet the person who made what you are buying! You realize you are truly supporting someone!”

Nikky Bergman Jewelry at Artists’ Row is located at 24 New Derby Street, Salem. For info go to www.nikkybergman.com or call 401-524-2412.

Nevermore? Not So. Poe Returns to Salem

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Oct 152015

Why didn’t someone think of this before? Transporting noted master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe and his chilling stories to Salem for an interactive event during Haunted Happenings. Makes perfect sense! Actually we did, or rather The Scarlet Letter Press & Gallery did last year and has opted for a return engagement Oct. 17.

Rebecca DeVries of Scarlet Letter Press reveals, “So many folks enjoyed the show that I was asked to repeat it this year. I actually booked the actor at the conclusion of last year’s event because it was so well received.”

The Scarlet Letter Press was participating in a national month of recognition to support the city of Boston’s installation of its life-sized Poe bronze in Oct. 2014. The Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston had sought to honor Poe in the city where he was born on January 19, 1809.  The installation was in Poe Square (intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street South) which had been dedicated to the author in 2009.

“This year we are hosting two smaller seatings (5:45pm and 7:45pm) at the event room in Wynott’s Wands retail store on Essex Street in Salem,” she explains.

Campbell Harmon returns as Mr. Poe to perform dramatic readings of The Raven and A Tell-Tale Heart. The latter of which was reported to have been based upon a true tale of horror from Salem’s past– and little to do with witchcraft.

Last year’s presentation garnered rave reviews.

Rebecca says “The audience was inspired by the actor’s large wealth of Poe knowledge in addition to his theatrical story telling abilities. He spent a good portion of the after show last year discussing the mysterious circumstances of Poe’s death and gave perhaps the best theory I have heard to date. The audience was thrilled to participate with their own theories!”

Also note that Scarlet Letter Press & Gallery is offering a $5 online coupon code which makes tickets only $20 each. Code is: OCT15.

For more info or tickets go to TSLPress.com or call 978-741-1850.

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