children – Salem Main Streets

Cool Off on the Salem Common During Ice Scream Bowl

Salem Festivals, SMS News No Responses »

Aug 082018

Are you ready for a really cool event this summer? It’s set for Wednesday, August 8 on the Salem Common from 6:00-7:30 p.m., rain or shine. Yes, it’s time for the Salem Ice Scream Bowl when residents (and visitors) have the opportunity to sample some of the best ice cream on the North Shore from popular area ice cream shops.

Did you know that the U.S. ice cream industry, from neighborhood shops to national brands, contributes more than $39-billion to the national economy and creates more than 188,000 jobs nationally? Or that the average American consumes more than 23 pounds of ice cream per year. Wow!

Among the local businesses serving classic flavors and new combinations Wednesday night will be Melt Ice Cream, Maria’s Sweet Somethings, Captain Dusty’s, E.W. Hobbs Ice Cream, Cherry Farm Creamery, and more. The Salem Ice Scream Bowl is a fun event for both children and adults to cool down from the heat and enjoy tasty ice cream.

Always a favorite part of Salem’s two-week long Heritage Days celebration, this year’s Ice Scream Bowl will be followed directly by the Salem Common Neighborhood Association’s Movie Night! This Wednesday’s movie will be A Wrinkle in Time, starting at 8 pm. Bring a blanket and camp chairs so you can settle in after your ice cream to catch an outdoor movie with your neighbors.

The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children. Tickets are purchased on site on the day of the event, cash only. A spoon and napkins will be supplied with the purchase of a ticket

The Ice Scream Bowl is still going green! All of our materials are recyclable or compostable in an effort to reduce the impact of this popular event.

Proceeds support Salem Main Streets, the downtown revitalization nonprofit that organizes the Salem Farmers’ Market and many other events in downtown Salem, as well as offering direct support to downtown businesses. The Ice Scream Bowl is coordinated in partnership between Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem as part of Salem Heritage Days.

For any other questions or comments regarding this event, please contact Kylie Sullivan at Salem Main Streets at (978) 744-0004 x115 or email at kylie@salemmainstreets.org.

Bring the kids, bring the in-laws. Salem Ice Scream Bowl is a cool family event.

Heritage Days Celebrate Salem’s Community Spirit with 40 Events

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping 2 Responses »

Aug 042018

Forty events. Thirteen Days & Nights. Salem’s celebration of our past, present and future, known as Heritage Days, has something for kids, senior citizens and everybody in between. It runs from August 1-13 and it takes place all over Salem. Bring comfortable walking shoes.

New events this year include public performances in Derby Square and Gables Fest, the House of the 7 Gables’ 350^th anniversary celebration with a special day of stories, song and dance. Also new this year, the Salem YMCA is joining forces with the Salem Education Foundation to enhance Kids Night on Common with many new crafts and special live performances.

And, that’s just what’s new!!!

The week begins with some very special events just for our seniors, and the first weekend of Heritage Days is highlighted by the 30^th Annual Maritime Festival offering maritime exhibitors and demonstrators, free harbor cruises, a magic show and ten different music, dance and entertainment acts scheduled throughout the weekend. The Salem Common will be hopping Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with Pizza Night, National Night Out, the Ice Scream Bowl followed by the SCNA’s weekly movie, and Kids Night.

The Salem Police Department has been hard at working organizing National Night Out, this nationwide initiative designed to promote positive police-community relationships. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever. Event highlights include all types of public safety vehicles on display, a K-9 demonstration, and Salem Police/Fire vs. Boys & Girls Club basketball game. There will be over 60 tables and tents setup by different organizations, social service agencies and local businesses offering information and free give-a-ways, along with free raffle opportunities to win bicycles and gift cards. Kids’ activities include inflatables, games, and arts & crafts. There will also be free pizzas, drinks, and snacks donated by Salem businesses.

Of course, your favorite Salem Main Streets fundraiser, the Salem Ice Scream Bowl, is back again this year with six awesome local vendors providing an array of delicious flavors! The 2018 Ice Scream Bowl will be held Wednesday, August 8 on the Salem Common from 6-7:30 p.m. rain or shine. Please note the change to Wednesday this year from our traditional Tuesday night.

In addition, Salem Main Streets’ Salem Farmers’ Market is celebrating 10 seasons this year! We will be adding a few extra treats for this week’s market, Thursday, August 9, in celebration of our 10th season, Heritage Days, AND National Farmers Market Week. Customers can look forward to some sweet new Farmers’ Market merchandise, extra special live music, interpretive dance-on-demand by Betsy Miller, and of course, some of the best local farms and vendors to be found on the North Shore. The Market will run as it does every week from 3 pm t0 7 pm on Derby Square.

Check out the full schedule.

It is packed with free opportunities for Salem residents to visit many of our downtown museums and attractions and receive discounts on the Salem Ferry and tours to Bakers Island Light Station. Pick a day or two during the week and plan a stay-cation, be a tourist and visit the Ropes Mansion or take a Cry Innocent walking tour or be part of the Salem Wax Museum’s 25 anniversary with its 25-cent admission for Salem residents or ride the Salem Trolley and visit the Witch House for free.

It’s your community. Enjoy it!

Not So Secret Handshake in Salem: Volunteers and Arts Festival

Business Spotlight, History, Resources, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

May 102018

Volunteering is an art. It is a creative gift that you give to your community. And what better gift to give to the Salem community than to be a volunteer at the upcoming Salem Arts Festival, June 1-3. It is a great combination!

This year is promising to be better than ever, with our TENTH ANNIVERSARY, record-breaking number of participants, all types/styles of art-making activities, a new collaboration with Creative Collective/Creative North Shore as co-organizers, and our fifth annual community art project, Bee to Brick. Come BEE a part of the best arts festival on the North Shore (possibly beyond? who’s to say.)!

With more activities than ever, we also need more volunteers than ever. We will probably be adding some additional shifts and needs as the festival gets closer, but for now, sign up early and often.

PLEASE SIGN UP HERE – http://signup.com/go/HpiioHC

Please note that we welcome and encourage volunteers of all ages for Salem Arts Festival. In fact… 10-year olds have been some of our best volunteers in the past! Never too early to instill in young people the value— their value— in community volunteering. This is also a great way for new residents to become part of our community, so spread the word to anyone you know who’s just moved to town.

Don’t forget to share the call for volunteers with your friends, family, neighbors, and that guy you sit next to on the train every day!

Save the Date – we will have an orientation for volunteers on Sunday, May 27 at 5 pm at Old Town Hall for any who can attend (yes, sorry, it’s Memorial Day weekend). We are also holding a benefit night for the Salem Arts Festival at Flatbread Pizza on Tuesday, May 29, so give your oven a rest that night and come grab a pie to support the festival!

Volunteerism improves health by strengthening the body, improving mood, and lessening stress in participants. And don’t forget, seeing art is also a soothing experience.

Questions? Interested in additional ways to help? Let Kylie Sullivan, our overworked but ever-smiling leader know! Call 978-744-0004 x115.

10 Years and Still Growing. Salem Arts Festival Returns in June

Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping, SMS News, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Apr 102018

“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” – Albert Einstein

Art has stood the test of time as an expression of the times within which it was born. As the World Art Day celebration approaches on April 15^th, here in Salem we look ahead to our own celebration of expression with the Salem Arts Festival, scheduled June 1-3, 2018.

For World Art Day, galleries and museums throughout the world are encouraged to have extended hours, hold conferences and panel discussions during the day, and host celebratory events in the evening. April 15^th is the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, a renowned painter, sculptor, writer, innovator, philosopher, and thinker.

Salem Arts Festival

Over 5,000 people regularly attend and take part in our family-friendly festival, transforming downtown Salem, MA into an opportunity for the arts community to showcase a wide range of talents, not dissimilar to DaVinci. The Salem Arts Festival includes a gallery of juried artists’ work in Old Town Hall, outdoor stage venues for performance and dance, an artist and artisan street fair, a collaborative public arts project, and much more!

“Salem is busting at the seams with visual artists, musicians, poets, dancers, makers, and creative individuals of all types. It’s one of the many reasons people love living and visiting here,” said Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets, co-organizer of the Salem Arts Festival.

“In celebration of our 10-year anniversary, we will focus the festival around the Salem Main Streets themes of ‘Live, Work, Play.’ I’m very excited to see the different ways we can use the arts to explore what it means to live, work, and play in Salem.”

For the 5th year, a community-built public art installation is being included as part of the festival. Bee to Brick, this year’s community art project, embraces the “Live, Work, Play” theme by celebrating some of the hardest “working” bugs out there – pollinators! Bee to Brick will install playful swarms of several hundred “bees” around the festival area, created entirely out of recycled plastic bottles and other reusable plastic pollution. After the project, the bees will be transformed into “bricks” by Phoenix School students for their “Bottle Brick Project.”

Community groups are being sought who want to participate in a workshop, and/or individuals who can come to one of our Monday night workshops. All ages and abilities are enthusiastically encouraged to contribute, no skill set required. More information at www.salemartsfestival.com/bee-to-brick

The Salem Arts Festival is especially pleased to announce that the festival, initially run as a project of Salem Main Streets, has expanded this year to be run in collaboration with the Creative Collective.

The Creative Collective is a group of invested creative professionals with the mission of connecting creativity, community and commerce. John Andrews, Creative Director, shared his thoughts about this partnership. “I am very excited to partner on another project with Salem Main Streets and expand the impact that the festival has on Salem and support the over 100 artists, performers, artisan vendors, and creatives that participate in this dynamic event.”

The Salem Arts Festival is organized by Salem Main Streets, the Creative Collective and a collaboration of Salem organizations which provide support for the festival, including the City of Salem, Salem State University, Salem Food Tours, the Phoenix School, Salem Public Space Project, the Salem YMCA, Peabody Essex Museum, and the Salem Arts Association.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Salem Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The festival also relies on the gracious support of its other creative partners, including Retonica Event Lighting, The Scarlet Letter Press, and Octocog Marketing and Design.

If you would like to support this dynamic annual cultural mainstay for its 10th anniversary celebration, please contact Robyn Gianoppolo at robyn@creativesalem.com or visit salemartsfestival.com/support

For more information about the Salem Arts Festival, please see www.salemartsfestival.com or contact Kylie Sullivan at kylie@salemmainstreets.org or (978)744-0004 (x115)

(All photos from 2017 Salem Arts Festival, Facebook page)

24 Reasons Why Salem Ma Is a Cool Valentine’s Day Weekend Destination

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

Jan 312018

Ice Sculpture from 2017

Looking for something really cool to do as a Valentine’s Day gift for sweetie pie? How about spending a day — or an illuminated evening — exploring ice sculptures in Salem Ma during our 16^th annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, Feb. 9-11, 2018.

There are Ice Sculpture festivals throughout the world at different times of the year, but we uniquely tie ours to the Valentine’s celebration and make it easy for couples to stroll through our walkable streets, hand in hand, oohing and aahing the creativity and craftsmanship to turn what is essentially water into works of art.

This year, we have 24 beautiful ice sculptures that will grace downtown Salem starting February 10. Some of the themes for this year’s ice sculptures will include “Love Potion #9,” a Dragon, the Salem State University Superfan, the Gloucester Fisherman, Princess and Frog, and more! A map can be found in the brochure (available in shops around town) during the festival and online at www.salemsosweet.com.

Be sure to make plans for a special evening stroll on Saturday, Feb. 10, from 5 pm to 9 pm, when the sculptures will be illuminated by Retonica! This is always a crowd-pleaser.

Weather permitting, The Salem Trolley offers trolley rides around the festival route on February 10 & 11 from 12 pm to 4 pm for only $2 an adult (free for children).

Ice Sculptures

#01 – Universe – Sponsored by The Journeymasters

#02 – Han Solo – Sponsored by Gulu-Gulu Café and Flying Saucer Pizza Company

#03 – Snowflake – Sponsored by Laura Lanes Skin Care

#04 – The Superfan – Sponsored by Salem State University

#05 – Tank – Sponsored by Army Barracks

#06 – Kissing Fish – Sponsored by Adriatic Restaurant & Bar

#07 – Piggy Bank – People’s United Bank

#08 – Princess & Frog – Sponsored by Maria’s Sweet Somethings

#09 – Dragon – Sponsored by Coon’s Card and Gift Shop

#10 – Page the Dog – Sponsored by Bella Research Group

#11 – Gloucester Fisherman – Sponsored by Turner’s Seafood

#12 – Love Potion #9 – Sponsored by The Coven’s Cottage, Emporium 32, Modern Millie, Pamplemousse, Salem Trolley, and Trolley Depot

#13 – Basset Hound – Sponsored by Witch City Mall: A Sacred Place Wellness Center, Badabing Barbershop and Shave Parlor, Bewitched in Salem, Escape Room Salem, Essex’s NY Deli & Pizza, Jodi Bee Bakes, Lotus Gifts, nAGLY, Omen, Polonus European Deli, Primary Residential Mortgage, Remix Church, Thai Place, Village Tavern, Witch Pix, Witch Tee’s

#14 – Cactus – Sponsored by Peabody Essex Museum

#15 – Super Mario Bros. – Sponsored by Bit Bar Salem

#16 – Cauldron – Sponsored by Salem Witch Museum

#17 – Bakery – Sponsored by Coffee Time Bake Shop

#18 – Financial Wizard – Sponsored by St. Jean’s Credit Union

#19 – Lion – Sponsored by Jolie Tea Company

#20 – Mug – Sponsored by Notch Brewery & Taproom

#21 – Waterfront Hotel – Sponsored by Regatta Pub at Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites

#22 – Rumson’s Rum – Sponsored by Pirate Dog Brand LLC / Rumson’s Rum

#23 – The Friendship – Sponsored by Waite & Peirce National Park Service Information Center and Park Store

#24 – 350^th Anniversary – Sponsored by The House of Seven Gables and Ye Olde Pepper Companie

Ice Sculpture also from 2017

Many downtown businesses will offer chocolate samplings and sweet discounts around downtown Salem all weekend in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Check to see who is participating in the “Golden Ticket Promotion” – make a full-price purchase at one participating downtown business and get 10% off your purchase at the next participating business! Offer is good Feb. 10 and 11 only, some restrictions may apply. In addition, many of Salem’s finest restaurants and retailers will be offering their own luscious chocolate and love-inspired specials and events.

A full list of ice sculptures, participating businesses, and promotions are also listed online, and will be available in brochures around town during the festival. Salem’s So Sweet is organized by Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce, and supported by Creative Salem, Destination Salem, Retonica, Scarlet Letter Press, and Rockafellas. Visit our website for more events and details as they become available – www.salemsosweet.com – or follow our Facebook page for all the latest updates – https://www.facebook.com/salemsosweet.

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