Oct 092014
 
Come little children, I’ll take thee away; into a land of enchantment. Come little children, the time’s come to play: here in my garden of magic.

Hocus PocusHauntingly chanted by a Sanderson sister in the 1993 film Hocus Pocus, that is something as children we learned was a bad thing to hear echoing in the cloud-filled skies— be you in Salem Ma or elsewhere. But, after all it was just a movie. And that movie is fondly recalled every year here in Salem, where the producers actually took the time to film several scenes.

Radio 92.9 is presenting a free, weekly Haunted Movies Series in Salem during October; this week Hocus Pocus, rained out last week (perhaps the burning rain of death?) has been reset for Saturday, October 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on the Salem Common under the stars.

Bring a blanket or beach chairs to watch this movie, which picked up 2 wins and 11 overall nominations during the 1994 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA awards.

Last year was the 20th anniversary of the movie. Here is a bit of trivia: did you know that the actor playing Thackery (not Zachery) Binx was Sean Murray who now plays Tim McGee on NCIS? You did? Well, did you also know that he was the voice of neither Thackery nor the cat? Movie Magic.

Hello Salem! My name’s Winifred, what’s yours? I put a spell on you…

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Oct 072014
 

Gables BricksOverwhelmingly positive and international in scope have been the responses to a fund raising project initiated last June by the House of the Seven Gables. And there is still time for you to get in on the ground floor of this national historic site’s endeavor— literally.

Karen Barter, Director of Development at The House of the Seven Gables explains, “The front entrance walkway of The Gables is in need of brick repair. We decided to do a fund raising project whereby bricks could be purchased and inscribed with the name of a family member or friend. It has been quite successful for other museums and historic sites.”

In fact, she adds that there has been strong interest from foreign supporters of the Gables. Not surprisingly, there are also many writers and authors wishing to invest in the project and have their names associated with the house noted author Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about.

Think of it. Inscribe a wedding date. The names of your children. A loved one who loved Salem. The names will be there for all to see, for years to come. In fact it’s quite possible that your children could bring their children to Salem and take in the surprised looks when the young ones find the family names part of the living history of the House of Seven Gables.

Barter adds that businesses may also support the Gables project. Just no advertising, websites, logos, etc. Only words & numbers.

It’s a chance for you or a relative, whether near or far, to be able to say “that’s my Gables, I own a piece of it” when someone refers to The House of Seven Gables in Salem Ma.

If you’re interested…

Brick, 4″ x 8″, Red clay with laser cut script in black, 1-2 lines (20 characters per line) $65 each brick
Brick, 8″ x 8″, Red clay with laser cut script in black, 1-3 lines (20 characters per line) $125 each brick

The House of the Seven Gables reserves the right to not accept the wording of a donor if it does not align with their mission and code of ethics.

For more information, contact the Development Department at 978-744-0991 ext 126 or email kbarter@7gables.org

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Oct 062014
 

Haunted Happenings Parade 2014 Creative Salem by Social Palates-7848Marching orders came down last Friday and we all had a great time participating in the Salem Chamber of Commerce 19th Annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. Whether in costume or not (the theme this year was “Fantasy” characters), the kids had a great time either in the parade or standing on the sidelines and watching.

For those of you not in attendance, here, courtesy of John Andrews at Social Palates from the Creative Salem website, is a visual slide-show tour of the event.

Look closely to catch a few shots of our own Kylie.

 

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Oct 032014
 
Witch Living Statue 10-19-13

You never know who you’ll meet during the Biz Baz…

Street fairs are a welcome sight in Salem; walkers and vendors chat, joke, shoot the breeze, bargain, and in most cases seal a deal. This weekend the Chamber of Commerce presents its annual version, the Haunted Biz Baz, October 4 (10am-8pm) & October 5, 2014 (10am-6pm).

Booths will be lined up essentially along the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall walking path, as well as down into Derby Square.

What will you find? What won’t you find? Arts, crafts, jewelry and a great deal more. It’s a bazaar! It’s also a weekend. Weather looks to be co-operating with partly cloudy/partly sunny skies, mid to low 60 degree temperatures. That translates into a fine day trip forecast.

There will, of course, be food vendors along the route. Plus there are all the brick and mortar restaurants that line our main roads and streets. And afterwards, you can always check out the diverse, eclectic and just plain strange offerings of the merchants in Salem’s Downtown District.

Of course, if you need some directions or advice, our Info Booth volunteers are ready and willing to help answer your zaniest questions!  Stop by the intersection of Essex St. and Washington St. any time between 10 am and 6 pm on Saturday or 1 pm and 5 pm on Sunday for some friendly assistance.

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Info Booth ambassador Paula is ready to help!

 

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Oct 012014
 

Ghostly MusiciansStep right up, though this may not be the “greatest show on Earth,” Salem Ma does try its best to give residents, North Shore neighbors and visitors the most for their time & money spent here during the month of October. Just this week we are opening our Info Booth to be staffed with ambassadors of goodwill to assist fun-seekers and officially kicking off festivities with the Chamber of Commerce 19th Annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, as well as once again launching the Mayor’s Night Out and Trick or Treat with the Mayor events.

Practically speaking there are more activities scheduled for the first three days of October than we have room for in this blog. We suggest you look at the calendar information supplied by at least these three great community websites. Mix and match the information.

Specifically we would like to point out that:

The 19th Annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade, presented by the Salem Chamber of Commerce steps off Thursday, Oct. 2nd at 6:30pm. This year’s parade theme is “Fantasy.” Children from grade school through high school and perhaps a big kid or two from college will march through our streets in costume as a tip of the hat to all the activities to follow this month. The spotlight, though, is where it should be, on the young people who keep Halloween alive with their imagination.

The Mayor’s Night Out is Oct. 3rd and that Friday Mayor Kimberly Driscoll, in partnership with Salem’s attractions and museums, encourages Salem residents to leave their homes to sample attractions, museums and even parking (at East India Mall garage after 4 pm) free of charge! Just bring your Salem ID and be on the look-out from 3 – 10 pm for “Mayor’s Night Out” signs at participating businesses.

Trick-or-Treating with Mayor Kim Driscoll at the East India Fountain takes place from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Bring the kids, join the Mayor as the procession will Trick-or-Treat along the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall, The Museum Place Mall Shops, and beyond. Trick-or-Treat Bags provided. Costumes encouraged. And of course, it is another free of charge event.

Salem’s Downtown District is prepared to show you a good time this month, this 5th season of our calendar year. We welcome “kids of all ages,” to explore and be entertained.

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