Halloween Events – Page 6 – Salem Main Streets

Is Salem THE Halloween Destination?

Sep 212015

We know Salem MA is and you know it is, but USA Today wants to know which community is the Best Halloween Destination. It has issued with 10Best.com a reach out to readers, asking everyone to vote once a day for their favorite in several Halloween categories, the most important of which is obviously Best Halloween Destination.

Salem naturally made the cut to the finalist group from which fans can select during the on-line voting taking place now through Oct. 12. Winners to be announced on Oct. 16.

We realize this is more a popularity contest based upon emotion, rather than a scientific survey based upon “number of people visiting” or “dollars spent,” but it’s all good. When you’re talking about Best Halloween Destination, a win in a popularity vote is impressive in itself.

So, who are the competition? As of press time, Salem MA (see scene below) was #2, ahead of:

New Orleans
Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Orlando
Tucson, Ariz.
Anoka, Minn.
Transylvania, Romania
Key West
Chicago

And who is/was currently the front runner as THE place to get all spooked out for Halloween?

Derry, Northern Ireland

“The fount from which Halloween springs can be found in Ireland’s Celtic roots. Born of the pagan autumn festival called Samhain, the beginning of the harvest and a time when the spirits were believed to be able to return to the plane of the living. Each year in this region, one of the world’s biggest Halloween celebrations creates more than enough joyful noise – music, fireworks and the like – to scare them back from whence they came.”

That’s what we are up against. Celtic roots.

It’s all in fun, with some bragging rights on the table. Join the conversation. Vote for Salem

Enthusiastic Volunteers Wanted in Salem For October Information Booth

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

Sep 082015

When 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.

Volunteers 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.

Be safe. Be considerate. Use common sense. Halloween in Salem.

Haunted Happenings, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Oct 282014

Really, those are the words that should guide you in your visit to Salem Ma and interactions with other enthusiasts celebrating Halloween here on Friday.

Being that Halloween falls on a Friday, we are expecting a lot of you to invade/join the party. Keep that in mind when you consider your method of transportation in AND out of the city.

And be prepared to leave at the end of the evening. We appreciate you having a good time. Of course, when the party’s over, the party’s over and we have to clean up. But, the street party concludes with fireworks. Yes we have fireworks on Halloween!

We try to make it a fun event, but to do so, there are some rules to also make it safe for everyone. Please take a few minutes to look them over.

That link also gives a schedule of the day & evening events, courtesy of our friends at HauntedHappenings.org.

For example, did you know we also have a Fiesta Shows Carnival, a Shock Top Beer Garden, more than one costume ball, and live music in spots across the city? This is after all, a big bad Halloween bash to end our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration.

Oh, also, do not bring weapons real or fake to Salem on Halloween. You may know how to properly wield a broad sword but someone else may not. Anything that looks like a weapon will be confiscated.

Enjoy and come back next year!

Open Market Open For Biz – Traditional and a Bit Strange

Haunted Happenings, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping 2 Responses »

Oct 232014

Where can you find the “best independent designers, artisans, artists and crafters together in a maelstrom of cutting edge design, art and handmade wares?” Where else but in Salem Ma; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the last three weeks of October, you will find SOWA, an open-air arts market with over 50 booths.

Just to give you an idea of the eclectic items that await you, here are descriptions of three vendors that have been or will be available on the weekend.

Nick & Jillian of R.H. Mardigan Enterprises and Emry’s Handcrafted Fynery. She makes jewelry and accessories out of ephemera, resin and other findings. He makes leather cuffs and accessories with a steampunk flair. And from the Steampunk events at the Peabody Essex, you know there is interest in that genre.

Diane Koss of Cutesy But Not Cutesy, specializes in making monsters (we think we’ve seen a few of those in recent weeks in Salem), but she also makes monster designer toys that you can cuddle; and a popular item has been the amazing monster hoodies for kids, adults and dogs!

And then there is the strange relationship between Zombies (always a big item in Salem during October) and published author / illustrator Greg Stones. Just look at this picture representing (at least to us) the clash of a long running horror theme and a recent over-the-top horror craze.

SOWA will run Friday-Sunday 10/24-26 at Derby Square Vending from 11 am – 6 pm, and Essex Street Vending from 11am – 10 pm. For more info go to their website http://newenglandopenmarkets.com/

The “Other” Salem Court Case Presented as Interactive Murder Mystery

Haunted Happenings, History, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Oct 182014

If you’ve enjoyed the excellent performances by History Alive! Inc. with the interactive and “moving” production of Cry Innocent, then we are here to advise of a 2nd production it presents in Salem, titled Goodnight Captain White. But— this is just a bit different.

Running Oct. 24th, 25th, 31st and November 1st. at Old Town Hall, this comedic-mystery retells the not so well-known true event of the 1830 murder of Salem Sea Captain Joseph White:

It’s 1830. “All friends and well wishers are invited to attend” the retirement party of Captain Joseph White’s favorite ship, the Caroline. But this magnanimous invitation lures a host of enemies and ill-wishers into the perfect opportunity to murder the rich, old captain. Allegiances twist and turn. Foibles are exposed, depravities revealed. It’s up to the audience and an under cover Daniel Webster to figure out whodunit and how.

Written by Mark Stevick and directed by Kristina Wacome Stevick, the tale is about the real Captain Joseph White, a rich, elderly, retired shipmaster, who was murdered while sleeping in his Essex Street home. It has all the elements of good book, movie or TV episode: local folks among the accused & guilty, and a high-profile prosecuting attorney in Senator Daniel Webster, hired by the White family to prosecute for the Commonwealth.

But where is the comedy? Goodnight, Captain White is not a reenactment like Cry Innocent. “We’re not sticking to the exact history here,” Mark Stevick has commented previously. “We follow the original story, but we’ve cut and combined to make for a more high-energy, comic period piece.”

Kristina Wacome Stevick has also stated “Is it right to laugh about terrible behavior? To do so doesn’t mean we endorse murder, adultery, slavery, betrayal. In our laughter we release the tension of recognition. As we watch these extreme fellows careen toward their comeuppance, we’re relieved they are not ourselves and we cringe at the thought that they could be, were our circumstances less privileged or graced.”

Use of innuendo, double entendres, a bit of improv from the actors, and even input from you, the audience, to help uncover & define the clues makes for a lively evening— that has nothing to do with ghosts, goblins or ghouls. Just a nice murder mystery.

Doors open at 7:15pm for “noshing and revelry.” Show begins at 7:30pm. The price of admission includes soirée fare and a “Crowninshield Punch.” For more information email historyalive@gordon.edu or call 978-867-4767.

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