Enthusiastic Volunteers Wanted in Salem For October Information Booth

 History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, SMS News  No Responses »
Sep 082015
 

Info Booth 1When visitors come to Salem MA in October, they do so armed not only with a printed map and an on-line set of references on cell phone or tablet, they also have direct, face to face contact with the Salem Main Streets (SMS) corps of volunteers whose goal is to get visitors where they want to go in town and enjoy the visit. We’d like you to join our team.

Last year alone the SMS volunteers assisted over 20,000 visitors during the weekends and holidays in October.

“We are looking for volunteers with enthusiasm for Salem to help greet visitors at the Downtown Salem Information Booth in October,” states Kylie Sullivan, Salem Main Streets Executive Director.

Volunteers will staff the booth which will sit at the beginning of the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall; they will hand out maps and provide information about Salem’s wide variety of attractions, events, and businesses.

All volunteers are asked to be available for a minimum of two shifts (each shift is for two hours) and will be required to complete a one hour orientation session. The orientation will take place on Saturday, September 19 at 9:30 am at the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center.

Volunteers will be updated on new October events and there will be time for returning volunteers to share insights and information with those new to the program. A free trolley tour will be available before the informational session, courtesy of Salem Trolley.

Info Booth 2Volunteers are needed for the following dates: October 1 (Parade night), 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 (Columbus Day Weekend), 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 (Halloween Night), and November 1.

Adds Kylie, “We are also looking for multi-lingual volunteers to assist the many international visitors who come to Salem. If you have availability during some of these days, enjoy helping visitors by showing them your enthusiasm for our cultured and historic city, and want to make it fun and easy for visitors to explore all of Salem’s sites and attractions, please join us!”

For more information or to become a volunteer please contact Kylie Sullivan, Salem Main Streets’ Executive Director, at 978-744-0004 x15 or kylie@salemmainstreets.org. This program is a partnership between Salem Main Streets, the National Park Service, the City of Salem, Destination Salem, and the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

Feather Your Nest in Salem!

 New Businesses, Salem Shopping, Uncategorized  2 Responses »
Sep 052015
 
2015-09-02 13.35.18

HausWitch, 144 Washington Street

 

Ah, Labor Day weekend.  Traditionally a time to enjoy the last gasp of summer, the last barbecue, the last day at the beach.  It’s also traditionally a time when many people spend the long weekend painting, unpacking, and otherwise transforming a new house into a new home.

Whether you’re moving into new digs, finally getting around to some upgrades, or attending a housewarming, our downtown Salem businesses have everything you need to get settled.  We did a little homework this week, and here are a few ideas we found:

 

Witch City Thrift Consignment & Thrift (301 Essex Street) is the place to start for everything you need… and everything you didn’t think you needed!  Need plates?  Got ’em.  Need chairs?  Got ’em.  Need some funky odds and ends to decorate the walls?  Got ’em.  Need a Victrola?  ….Yup.  Just don’t be confused when the locals still refer to it as “Jerry’s”.

Newcomer HausWitch Home + Healing (144 Washington Street) is the brain child of Erica Feldmann, a micro-budget decorator who wants to help you “bring the good vibes home.”  HausWitch offers unique and affordable ways to add something special to your new space, from clever little hanging shelves, to beautiful napkins dyed with turmeric, onion, and basil, to bunches of sage meant for “smudging“.  HausWitch is also known for their HausCraft Spell Kits, careful selections of objects and meditations in a house-shaped box, intended for specific situations in your home (we recommend “Co+Habitate” to help smooth out the edges with new roommates).

Next up, a visit to Kan.del (inside Museum Place Mall) gives a solid reminder that candles can truly be works of art in addition to transforming a new space with scent. Another new kid on the block, Kan.del’s products range from the earth-conscious (like the rareEARTH and “Rescued Wine” lines), to the exquisite (check out the incredible beeswax “busts” of composers and dogs), to the uniquely Salem (including candles inspired in memory of individual Salem Witch Trials victims) – and of course, they will all make your new home smell fantastic!

Last but not least, we took a trip to Roost & Company (40 Front Street), who’s ever-changing offerings are always creative and beautifully displayed.  From to gag gifts (especially good for anyone who’s been moving boxes all day), to cookbooks (for when you can find your kitchen again), to beautiful everyday items (why should shower curtains be ugly?), you can always be sure to find the perfect house-warming gift at Roost.

But don’t stop there!  You can also find great finds for a new home at Edward John Home Decor, Hedrington’s, the Pickering Wharf Antiques Gallery, Pamplemousse, and many, many more.  Our local businesses want to help you call Salem, MA home as much as we do, so go explore!

 

Today See “Yesterday” During 17th Century Saturday Event

 History, Salem Event  No Responses »
Sep 042015
 

Gedney (2)Have you seen this house? Well, of course you’ve “seen” The Gedney House as you walk or drive through Salem. It is located at 21 High Street. But have you been inside it?

If you have not, today, Sept. 5th, is your chance, courtesy of Historic New England. You are invited to visit Gedney House during Seventeenth Century Saturdays and see why it is not your typical historic house. View original post-and-beam timbers, brick nogging, and early decorative finishes in Salem’s second oldest historic house.

The house is significant not only for its framing, but also for its evidence of early decorative finishes in the hall chamber and parlor. Three successive color schemes, the earliest of which is believed to date to the house’s construction (The Gedney House was originally built in 1665 by Eleazer Gedney and his new wife, Elizabeth Turner), were discovered in the hall chamber. This evidence was preserved by the addition of plaster ceilings, beam casings, and paneled walls by the mid-eighteenth century.

For a full history of the house from being a single family residence to an investment property to a rental property and eventually a museum, go to this Historic New England web page.

Tours are $5 for adults and free for Historic New England members and Salem residents. The museum will be open from 11am – 3pm with tours available on the hour. Space on tours is limited due to the structure of the house.

For more details call 978-744-0440 or visit www.historicnewengland.org . The Gedney House will be open one final time to the public in 2015 on October 3rd for the final Seventeenth Century Saturday.

First Friday Feels Right at Home on Pickering Wharf

 Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping  No Responses »
Aug 292015
 

Has it been a month already since the last First Friday at Pickering Wharf? If you missed FF last month, this Friday, Sept. 4th is your chance to experience the interaction between your five senses and all that the Wharf stores have to offer.

FF SeptWhat began as a plan to recreate an 18th century shopping village theme at Pickering Wharf has evolved into a visually serene landscape dotted with an eclectic line-up of gift shops and many, many, many places to stop for lunch or dinner.

Then add to it the special touch of a First Friday when merchants stay open later and offer some extra special deals as a way of saying “thank you” to customers, and you have a great day trip / ladies night out / guy’s night out destination this coming Friday Sept.4th

For example, show a receipt from any wharf merchant on this First Friday of the month, and the restaurants will take 10% off of your lunch or dinner that same day or evening (10% discount applies to food at participating merchants 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar, Brodies Seaport, Finz Seafood and Grill, Longboards Restaurant and Bar, Regatta Pub in the Salem Waterfront Hotel, Sea Level Oyster Bar and Kitchen, Vic’s Boathouse & Victoria’s Station.).

Find a good deal and enjoy a good meal. Pickering Wharf is located off Derby Street in Salem MA.

Anime Comes Alive at Flying Saucer Restaurant

 Contests, Salem Event, Salem Shopping  No Responses »
Aug 232015
 

Remember Pokemon from your childhood? Or perhaps you are actively involved with some form of anime now? The videos and card games are still going strong. As is a much more grown-up and tightly written anime called Attack on Titan. Both of those as well as three other forms of anime will each have a day of exposure during the Flying Saucer Pizza Company special Anime Week, Aug. 24-28.

AnimeExplains Nicole Spirito, General Manager of Flying Saucer, “This is the first EVER Anime Week at Flying Saucer in our three years of being in business.  We are well known for our creative intertwining of delicious pizza and good nerdy fun, and I decided that it was time for the anime/manga crowd to have a fun week just for them!”

Harrison’s Comics & Pop Culture in Salem is co-sponsoring the week long event and is supplying raffle prizes. It also holds Pokemon sessions & tournaments on Sunday afternoons.

She adds, “Harrison’s Comics has always been a loyal friend and partner with us as business owners in Salem, and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to have our worlds collide, so to speak. Many of our staff and customers are avid anime enthusiasts, and we all enjoyed collaborating on ideas to make this week fantastic.”

The night returns some fan pizza favorites, including the BULBASAUR and VEGETA – as well as introducing some lively cocktails. You are invited to wear your finest merch to receive some “awesome” Saucer freebies.

For those of you that don’t know about this art form, the word anime is a shortened version of animēshon and can be characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes.

Anime weekAccording to Wikipedia, “The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917, and production of anime works in Japan has since continued to increase steadily. The characteristic anime art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of Osamu Tezuka and spread internationally in the late twentieth century, developing a large domestic and international audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, by television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the internet. It is classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences.”

In other words, anime is everywhere and enjoyed by males & females of all ages and nationalities.

The schedule (at posting time):

  • Monday – Pokemon
  • Tuesday – Naruto
  • Wednesday – Dragon Ball Z with a special screening of Resurrection F at 8pm
  • Thursday – Inuyasha
  • Friday – Attack on Titan with a late night screening from 11pm-1am

And, don’t forget, adds Nicole, “We’ll be raffling off killer memorabilia provided by Harrison’s Comics each night!”

Flying Saucer is located at 118 Washington St, in Salem MA. And Harrison’s is across the street from Flying Saucer at 252 Essex Street.

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