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Salem Maritime Festival Sails into Salem

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Aug 042016

Ships, sawdust, sailors and song all in Salem this weekend as the National Park Service celebrates the 28th year of the Salem Maritime Festival.

The Salem Maritime Festival will run August 5th, 6th and 7th, featuring live music, historical reenactors, harbor cruises, demonstrations, interactive programs, arts, crafts, and more! The Salem Maritime Festival is hosted by Salem Maritime National Historic Site in cooperation with the Essex National Heritage Commission.

But, take note, this is not your typical ocean-themed event with one or two seafaring craft docked in the harbor for walk-aboard tours. Visiting & Participating Vessels include:

Lobster Boats
Schooner Adventure
Schooner Ardelle
Sea Shuttle’s Endeavour
Schooner Fame, Full-scale replica of a War of 1812 Privateer
Sloop Friendship
United States Coast Guard Patrol Boat

Not surprising then that one of the most popular features of the Salem Maritime Festival will be the free 90-minute boat rides around Salem Harbor. In fact, on Saturday, festival goers will be given the opportunity to enter a series of raffles for chances to set sail in Salem harbor on some of the above-mentioned craft. Lottery entries begin 10:30am

Music is also a big part of this festival.

Friday, August 5th:

6-8pm, Squeezebox Stompers – Cajun/Zydeco

Saturday, August 6th (MC Merrill Kohlhofer):

10am, Wolf Music – Sea Chantey

11am, Ye Mariners All

12pm, Warszawiaki Orchestra – Polka Music

2pm, Campbell Music – Folk

3pm, New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus

4pm, Mamadou –West African World-Fusion

6-7pm, Salem Philharmonic Orchestra

Sunday, August 7th (MC Tony Toledo):

11am, Wolf Music – Sea Chantey

12pm, Ron Reid Music – Steel Drum/Caribbean

1pm,Tony Toledo (MC) – Story Telling

2pm, Marina Evans – Folk

3-5pm, Atwater-Donnelly – Folk

And beyond this being a 3-day festival, beyond this being part of the Salem Heritage Days festival, it is also in honor of the National Park Service’s Centennial year.

On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service, a new federal bureau in the Department of the Interior responsible for protecting the 35 national parks and monuments then managed by the department and those yet to be established.

“The Centennial will celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years, but it is really about the future. It’s about kicking off a second century of stewardship for America’s national parks and for communities across the nation. Most importantly, it’s about inviting you to join us.” — NPS

History. Adventure. Fun and games. And a lot more await you Aug. 5-7 in Salem Ma. Bring sunglasses. Bring your boat shoes. For full schedule of events, go to the Salem Maritime National Historic Site website.

Lazy Days of Summer Giving Way to Heritage Days

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Farmers Market, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News 2 Responses »

Aug 022016

More than 40 different events over 10 days — if that doesn’t convince you to put Salem’s Heritage Days festival on your “to do” list for summer events, we don’t know what will. As we have already given the Festival a full write up, let’s consider this a gentle reminder! It takes place Aug.4-14th at Derby Wharf, Salem Common and other locales around Salem, inviting residents and visitors to explore Salem’s past and present through music, food and events.

While most of the schedule is set, there are always possible changes, so just another reminder to check the schedule before attending.

Look it over. As the saying goes, there is something for everyone, no matter what your age.

Be a Part of Salem’s Beautification

History, Salem Event No Responses »

Jul 172016

Green thumbs or not, the residents and businesses of Salem are being invited to once again take part in the annual Window Box Competition.

What is a Window Box? It is just as it sounds, a container in the shape of a box, showcasing live flowers or plants. It hangs (sometimes sits) from a window of a home, office or street-side business.

But, you’ve never built one? That should not deter you from the competition. This is Salem Ma! Anything’s possible (especially with this link offering do it yourself instructions).

Key thing to be aware of is the choice of wood. According to the DIY network:

“Certain types of wood aren’t suitable for this project. Pine rots easily and oak turns black when wet, so they are not good choices. Cyprus has a high oil content which makes it weather-resistant. Cedar is both decay-resistant and affordable; it can be left natural or can be stained, and it is available in smooth or rough finishes. Teak and mahogany are beautiful, but expensive.”

Ready to show off your gardening and/or creative design skills?

Register by phone at 978-619-5676 or by email at etalkowsky@salem.com with the subject: Window Box Registration, and include your name, street address and telephone number. Deadline is July 28^th.

Judging will follow on July 30 – Aug. 2. Then the awards ceremony and reception are set for Aug. 10 at 5:30pm (during our Heritage Days Festival) in the garden of the Pickering House at 38 Broad St.

There will be light refreshments served and attendees also will be able to tour the interior of the Pickering House.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the City of Salem, the Salem Beautification Committee and the Salem Garden Club.

Derby Square: Plenty of History & a Flea Market There

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Jul 162016

History surrounds us in Salem Ma. You really can’t walk around much without bumping into it. It’s in the walls. It’s on the streets. For example, this month’s edition of the Derby Square Flea Salvage Art Market Saturday, July 16 (10am to 5pm), which normally features eclectic vendors of vintage, salvage, fashion, art & up-cycled objects, will also celebrate Derby Square’s 200^th anniversary.

10:30am Ribbon Cutting with Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll
2pm Birthday Cake courtesy of CoffeeTime Bakery
3:30pm Drawing of vintage limited-edition signed print of Old Town Hall by Eleanor Meadowcroft
5pm Happy Hour around the Square

Yes, that little patch of land where farmers’ markets, flea markets, summer concerts, Salem Arts Festival and other events take place, has a history.

According to historian Dona Seger, in a very informative piece she wrote recently for the Streets of Salem website, “John Derby III and Benjamin Pickman, Jr., scions of wealthy Salem families, business partners and brothers-in-law, offered the land on which the majestic and short-lived Derby Mansion formerly stood to the town of Salem in 1816 with the provision that a suitable civic building be built–civic in this context clearly implying both public and commercial functions. The city accepted the offer, and so the new Derby Square was developed over 1816-1817 with the new Town Hall/Market House at its center.”

She goes on to tell an interesting tale of how it developed, changed, flowed with the times, buckled a little, but still kept to tradition.

In keeping with that tradition of Derby Square housing a marketplace, the Derby Square Flea Salvage Art Market came into existence.

Becky Putnam, Carol Hedstrom and Stacia Kraft took their shared passion for “history, architecture and all things vintage” to create a one time pop up market in September 2015. So successful was it that they formed CDP Productions and proposed a full season of outdoor vintage and art markets to the City. A May-September schedule was established.

At this month’s edition of the Derby Square Flea Salvage Art market, you will find both local Salem and traveling vendors, presented with a backdrop of vintage music and interactive vendors.

For additional info, go to derbysquarefleasalvageart.com.

8th Annual Salem Arts Festival To Feature Over 80 Artists & Performers

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News No Responses »

Jun 022016

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As Arts Festivals go, we think ours is a big deal. So much so that the Salem Arts Festival is not a one day experience but a 3-day extravaganza of culture, June 3-5th. What else would you call the intersection of over 80 artists and performers with a variety of art, music, dance, and theatre performances. The family-friendly festival also includes art-making for all ages, artisan vendors selling their creations, and a temporary public art installation.

And yes, something this big can’t be housed in one spot.

The Salem Arts Festival is spread out at a variety of venues in downtown Salem, with the primary focus on Old Town Hall, Derby Square, Front Street, and Artists’ Row. A Juried Art Show will be held in Old Town Hall throughout the festival, with an artisan street fair in the area around the building on Saturday and Sunday. Live performances this year will mostly be held outside (weather permitting) on Derby Square and Artists’ Row. The event is rain or shine, with a rain location for performances held upstairs at Old Town Hall and at 217 Essex Street (formerly “The Gathering”).

Full schedule and programs will be available on site during the festival, as well as the Festival website.

“I’m probably prouder of this event than any other Salem Main Streets initiative, because there’s been such tremendous collaboration between so many local groups and individuals to continue to improve and expand the festival every year. I can’t wait to share the phenomenal energy and talent that will be on display this year,” says Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets (SMS), the community non-profit organization which started the Festival.

The Salem Arts Festival kicks off with an opening reception at Salem’s Old Town Hall on Friday, June 3rd at 6pm. The free event allows visitors to enjoy beautiful art work while being entertained by renowned local and regional performers North Shore Chamber Music, Gretchen and the Pickpockets, Siren of the Circle, and headliners Picante Soul.

In addition this year, Friday night will also serve as the grant reception for the Salem Cultural Council’s FY16 grantees.

One of the most anticipated events this year is “Move With Me”, a collaborative public art project led by artist and architect Claudia Paraschiv, featuring an installation of pinwheels over Front Street. During the past few months, community groups and locals of all ages and abilities have decorated several hundred individual pinwheels made of reclaimed sailcloth, drawing their own interpretations of traditional textile patterns from different cultures around the world.

This year, the Salem Arts Festival also celebrates the very first “Mural Slam” on Artists’ Row, organized by the City of Salem’s Public Art Commission and Public Art Planner Deborah Greel. Murals will be painted throughout the weekend by 12 selected artists and will be completed by the end of the festival. In addition, the Festival marks the return of vendors to Artists’ Row, with both new and returning tenants for the 2016 season.

The goal of the Salem Arts Festival is to promote all the arts in Salem and to provide the entire North Shore arts community with an opportunity to showcase their talents. The Festival is run in collaboration with Salem Main Streets by a team of dedicated volunteers, including representatives from Creative Salem, Salem State University, the Peabody Essex Museum, and many more.

Visitors interested in attending the Salem Arts Festival can find easy access to the downtown by public transportation or parking at one of the many downtown lots in the City. For more information, please visit www.salemartsfestival.com

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