News – Page 63 – Salem Main Streets

Open Invitation to Join YOUR Salem Main Streets

Contests, New Businesses, Salem Event, Salem Farmers Market, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Feb 212015

There are many exciting things happening behind the scenes at Salem Main Streets, and we want to bring them to light. So——

You are invited!

Please join us for Salem Main Streets’ Annual Meeting

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
5:30 pm to 7 pm
at the Salem Five Community Room, 210 Essex Street

– Celebrate Salem Main Streets’ (SMS) achievements over the past year
– Learn more about SMS mission and goals for the coming year
– Enjoy an evening with SMS supporters, volunteers, committee members, and constituents

Free
Cash bar and light refreshments
Open to all who live, work, and play in downtown Salem

Explains Kylie Sullivan, SMS Manager, “For many nonprofits, ‘annual meetings’ are primarily a function of the board and those concerned with the administration and governance of the organization. We are throwing the doors wide open for this meeting – inviting all our board and committee members, volunteers, downtown businesses, partners, sponsors, residents, municipal officials and employees, you name it. The message we want to send is that this is YOUR Main Streets and that everyone who cares about the downtown community should feel invested in the operation of Main Streets.”

Frankly no one can remember the last time Main Streets held an annual meeting. It’s time! We have so many great achievements to celebrate and recognize. Yes, we are talking about the Volunteer Booth, and the Farmers’ Market and the Holiday Tree— and so many more. And we are talking about you!

“We have so many great partners involved with Main Streets,” continues Kylie, “and we want them to be able to understand how their contribution fits into the larger Main Streets picture. Many of our partners and volunteers may only be involved with just one part of Main Streets (the info booth, the Farmers’ Market, Salem’s So Sweet) and they don’t really know how it connects to the larger mission and goals for SMS.”

To that end, while there will be a “speaking” portion of the meeting, it will be noticeably short; greater focus will be devoted on mingling with each other and visiting “stations” manned by committee members around the room to learn more about the different aspects of Main Streets and give feedback.

Consider this is to be more an interactive ongoing conversation, rather than a passive presentation.

We look forward to seeing you and listening to your input, and hopefully your participation sometime during the next year with one (or more) of our projects.

(Photo courtesy of Social Palates is of the Hula Art Project, an example of “board and committee members, volunteers, downtown businesses, partners, sponsors, residents, municipal officials and employees,” working together)

Going Above & Beyond During Salem Snowmageddon 2015

Salem Event, Volunteer Opportunities 2 Responses »

Feb 192015

Although Winter is far from over and we can expect more depressing bouts with snow, something positive has emerged. We have seen a number of good Samaritans come out of the woodwork— or rather snow banks to help fellow Salem residents get through this record-setting season. And Mayor Kimberly Driscoll has an idea on how to thank them.

‘Salem Snowmaritans’ will be honored with limited edition ‘I Survived Salem Snowmageddon 2015’ t-shirts.

You’ve seen them. Strangers shoveling someone else’s sidewalk. Motorists stopping to help push a stalled car or jumping a battery. Teens going shopping for the elderly. Snow plowers working into the late hours of the night or early morning.

Residents can nominate ‘Salem Snowmaritans’ by sending an email to Mayor@Salem.com with their name and phone number, name of the nominee, reason for their nomination, and the nominee’s recommended t-shirt size. Mayor Driscoll plans on sharing stories of ‘Salem Snowmaritanism’ on social media throughout the next few weeks.

“Nasty weather can’t beat Salem’s sense of community,” points out Mayor Driscoll. “The storms have actually created shining examples of neighborly love throughout our city and we want to hear all about them. We’ll share these stories and help turn cold frowns into warm smiles by remembering what a great City we live in, even when the wind chill is 20 below! We hope folks will spread the good word through social media and help us beat back the blizzard blues by celebrating our undaunted community spirit.”

Additionally, the Mayor’s Office will be selling these limited edition t-shirts for $15 per shirt for those who would like to purchase a Snowmageddon t-shirt as a keepsake. And the best part of that is all proceeds from the sales will go directly to the winter fuel assistance program for needy Salem residents administered through North Shore Community Action Programs. Residents can also submit their orders to Mayor@Salem.com until March 1st.

Local designer Brent Leland of Leland Creative, along with Gorilla Printing, both of Salem, helped design and print the t-shirts, with the assistance of Kate Fox, Executive Director of Destination Salem.

“This ridiculous amount of snow has given us good reasons to be grumpy, but it has also brought out the best in Salem as we’ve witnessed folks going above and beyond to help others during this unprecedented cold, hard winter,” states Mayor Driscoll.

Surviving Salem Snowmageddon 2015 has not been easy. But we will get through it together.

Feeling Like a Lumberjack of the North Woods?

Salem Dining No Responses »

Feb 172015

Could they have planned it any better than this? In the midst of one of the most outrageous winter snow seasons we’ve ever seen, the think-tank at the Peabody Essex Museum has scheduled a Lumberjack Party as the theme for this Thursday’s PEM/PM event! This should bring people out of the woodwork (sorry, had to get one pun in there).

Seriously though, the vision is to create an experience of spending a winter night in the North Woods (something we are all feeling) while celebrating the art of trees. And that is inspired by PEM’s Art & Nature Center exhibition “Branching Out: Trees as Art.”

PEM urges you to dig deep to get into the spirit of the event: wear your boots and flannel, then get your photo taken in their Lumberjack Photobooth, complete with beards, axes and other woodsy-themed accessories.

Other highlights of the event include obviously woodworking demonstrations, a Brew Talk with Salem’s From the Tree Cider, and more “timber” related activities; local bearded band, Tigerman WOAH, will provide the perfect backdrop with their Appalachian mountain folk/bluegrass-influenced punk rock with the occasional hip-hop freak-out.

PEM/PM evening parties take place on the 3rd Thursday of each month as a way for PEM to invite, entertain, educate and interact with the local community.

In this case, the current exhibition, “Branching Out: Trees as Art,” explores ways in which contemporary artists use trees as an inspiration as well as a medium for their art. Made with bark, wood, roots, seedpods, leaves and biosignals, more than 30 varied works and a selection of hands-on interactive opportunities ask us to consider our relationship with trees as a vital natural force.

A cash bar will be available, as will a special small plate menu courtesy of the Hawthorne Hotel. Admission to PEM/PM: free of charge for members and Salem residents (bring ID); $10 for non members. The event runs from 6 – 9 pm on Feb. 19 at the Peabody Essex Museum. For more details go to www.pem.org or call 866-745-1876.

Who Is NOT Afraid of Snow in Salem Ma? We Have the List

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Shopping, SMS News 1 Response »

Feb 152015

Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow. We can’t do anything about the fluffy white stuff that is falling and being blown about— but we can make sure it doesn’t diminish one of the things that makes Salem such a great place to reside in and visit: our Downtown Shopping District.

Many of our restaurants and retailers braved the weather, cleared the sidewalks, pathways, doorways and parking lots to hang their “open for business” signs today. As was said in a tweet, sure they are looking to generate income, but they are also in a sense performing a public service, giving us all a reason to get out of our houses and congregate with fellow townsfolk.

We set up a constantly updating thread on our Facebook page to share the info on who is and is not open. We thank everyone who chimed in. And we give a big frozen thumb’s up to the retailers that offered “Blizzard Specials” to the adventurous New Englanders who made the trek to their favorite Salem haunt.

(Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Festival & Golden Ticket Promotion Continue Despite Snow

Contests, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News No Responses »

Feb 102015

Salem loves a Festival. It’s our tradition to REALLY celebrate a holiday. So, it is no surprise that Valentine’s Day has been the recipient of our special magical treatment with this year’s (Feb. 6-15) Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival. Saturday is Valentine’s Day and neither snow nor sleet nor ice will deny the event and the on-going Golden Ticket promotion.

Many downtown businesses are offering discounts and special offerings throughout the festival on items that will bring a special smile to your loved ones! By also picking up your Golden Ticket at any of the participating businesses during the festival, you will have a chance to win a Salem’s So Sweet gift basket. Just have the Golden Ticket validated at a minimum of 8 participating businesses (no purchase necessary) to enter.

A full list of participating businesses and promotions are available below or by stopping by the Salem Main Streets office at 265 Essex Street for a brochure. Please also check our Facebook page for updates.

Who’s afraid of snow? Shop early. Shop late. Shop Salem!

(“Golden Ticket” image courtesy of Social Palates via Instagram)

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