History – Page 6 – Salem Main Streets

So You Think You Know About the Salem Witch Trials?

History, Salem Event, SMS News No Responses »

Oct 232016

You’ve read The Crucible in high school. You went to see movies like Salem’s Lot and Hocus Pocus. You may be a fan of the TV show Salem. You know a lot about Salem. Or do you?

For example (spoiler alert) when visitors ask one of our Info Guides to give directions as to where the witches were burned, our response is that no one was “burnt at the stake” in Salem for allegations of witchcraft. Nineteen were tried & hung, another was tortured to death and four died in prison awaiting trial.

Curious about whether what else you know is true or not? Come to Salem this Thursday, Oct. 27 at noon for a 15 minute Tent Talk discussion of The Salem Witch Trials: 10 Misconceptions with Kate Fox, Executive Director, Destination Salem, Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs for the City of Salem. It is sponsored by the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice.

You are invited to separate the facts from the fiction, ask questions, and gain a firmer understanding of what happened here between 1692 and 1693. The Tent Talk discussion is free of charge.

The tent will be set up, appropriately, at the Witch Trials Memorial, located on Liberty Street between Charter and Derby Streets.

Drawing upon the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the mission of the Salem Award Foundation is to promote awareness, understanding and empathy in support of human rights, tolerance and social justice. It advances social change through educational programming, stewardship of the Salem Witch Trials Memorial as a place of reflection, and by awarding and celebrating contemporary champions who embody its mission.

Full Moon to Bring Out Crowds to PEM Event

Salem Event No Responses »

Oct 192016

Moon Landings were frequent enough to generate parties and conversations a plenty during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Peabody Essex Museum invites you to relive some of those days during its next PEM/PM late night party, Moon Landing, this Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6-9pm.

The moon has been the subject of art, literature, music, movies and TV as much if not more than most any other topic. It’s always been there, up in the sky. What better topic for the monthly festivities at the PEM where the community is invited.

“Come celebrate the moon with a tantalizing night of lunar festivities. Listen in on discussions about the importance of the moon, hear from artists featured in the new Art & Nature Center Exhibition ‘Lunar Attraction’ and interact with minerals found on the moon. From the race to make a base on the moon to cheese and werewolves, this lunar celebration is sure to be out of this world!”

While you are possibly doing the Moonwalk dance or mooning over someone at the party (but please don’t moon anyone), here are some recent data:

Moon Distance: 224,833 miles
Most Current Full Moon: Oct 16 12:23 AM
Next New Moon: Oct 30, 2016 1:38 PM
Next Full Moon: Nov 14, 2016 8:52 AM

Speaking of Moon Landings, just in case you need a conversation starter, here are the dates of the six manned American Moon Landings and the actual time spent on the ground (in case it comes up in a trivia question):

Apollo 11: July 20, 1969, stay of 21 hours and 36 minutes
Apollo 12: November 19, 1969, stay of 31 hours and 31 minutes
Apollo 14: February 5, 1971, stay of 33 hours and 31 minutes
Apollo 15: July 30, 1971. stay of 66 hours and 55 minutes
Apollo 16: April 21, 1972, stay of 71 hours and 21 minutes
Apollo 17: December 11,1972, stay of 75 hours

PEM members, college students and Salem residents (with ID) free, nonmembers $12.

The Peabody Essex Museum is located at 161 Essex St, Salem, MA., United States, North American continent, Western Hemisphere, Planet Earth.

Parade To Set Tone of Haunted Happenings

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Oct 032016

While October 1st technically starts Salem’s month-long celebration of Halloween, the real kick-off has been the Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. This year, the 21st annual parade will be held Thursday, Oct. 6th from 6:30pm-8pm.

The Salem Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to participate as a walker, to become a volunteer, or just attend this year’s event, which will feature the theme “100 Years of Parks and Play.”

The term “children of all ages” could not better describe the participants as thousands of Salem’s students from kindergarten to college and our local business owners will be ready to march from Shetland Park to the Salem Common.

Along the way you will see colors, lights, sounds and faces of kids basking in the limelight that for that given moment they are the center of attention. They represent all that is fun about Salem.

The Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade will be starting from Shetland Properties on Congress Street then turning left onto Derby Street, right onto Central Street, left onto Front Street, right onto Washington Street, right onto the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and ending at the Common.

This will necessitate certain road closings from 6pm until 9:30pm.

Congress Street will be closed from Harbor Street to Derby Street.
Derby Street will be closed from Congress Street to Central Street.
Commuters will not be able to use Route 1A between Dodge St. and Brown Street which includes Derby Street, Hawthorne Boulevard and Washington Square at the Common entrance.
Front Street and Washington Street between New Derby Street and Church Street will be closed.
Essex Street will be closed at Washington Street.

When it all stops at the Common, it does not end as there will be a continuing celebration with local favorite DJ Doug entertaining the crowd.

For the latest developments, please check the Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade Facebook page

It is a parade, it is a party, it is a traveling brochure of things to come during Haunted Happenings in Salem Ma. this month. And by attending, you will be a part of it!

Free Admission Today to Witch Museum During Museum Day Live!

History, Salem Event No Responses »

Sep 242016

Not a Halloween trick, but an early treat, courtesy of Smithsonian magazine, you & a guest are cordially invited to visit the Salem Witch Museum today, (9/24/16) free of charge!

Museum Day Live! is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket.

These special tickets must be ordered on line.

Interestingly and to show how Salem blends the historical with the modern, the Salem Witch Museum will accept your Museum Day Live! ticket directly from the screen of your smartphone!

Is it witchcraft or science? Curious.

The Salem Witch Museum is located at 19 1/2 Washington Sq. North, Salem MA and will be open today from 10am-5pm. For more info call 978-744-1692.

Take a Sip of History on New Salem Spirits Trolley

History, Salem Dining, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Sep 072016

The booming craft maker scene in Salem is getting its own tour! Salem Spirits Trolley launches a new excursion focusing on locally made cider, spirits, and beer beginning Friday, Sept. 9th.

“We are thrilled to offer this fantastic new tour to both locals and visitors,” says Salem Spirits Trolley founder and owner Karen Scalia. “Salem’s renowned and award-winning food scene now has a great companion with its outstanding craft beer, cider and spirits scene.”

The tour will include stops at Far From the Tree Cider, Deacon Giles Distillery and Notch Brewing.

Hosted by emcee comedian Mark Scalia, the Salem Spirits Trolley offers an entertaining and unique look at Salem, from the waterfront to the historic McIntire District. The 3-hour tour includes a special spice tasting, which showcases what spices are used in the making and distillation or brewing process, followed by tastings at each tour location.

Transported by the Salem Trolley, guests have the opportunity to talk with the local crafters about their process and passion, and get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the distilling and brewing process, as well as its relevance to the story of Salem.

Like Scalia’s Salem Food Tours, the experience is not just about the local samples, but about the connections between the spirits, the spice trade, and Salem’s history.

Additional tour partners include Salem Spice and the Cheese Shop of Salem, sharing more of Salem’s rich retail and culinary scene with participants.

The concept came to Scalia, who founded Salem Food Tours in 2010, after two of the local makers, Far From the Tree Cider and Deacon Giles Distillery, impressed her with their extraordinary products and special locations.

“Like our terrific Salem chefs, I wanted to shine a light on what they were doing,” says Scalia, “Since the locations of the tasting room and distillery were not in close proximity, the concept of a trolley tour was born. The addition of Notch Brewing to downtown Salem rounded out a fantastic experience.”

The Salem Spirits Trolley will offer regularly scheduled public tours beginning Friday, Sept. 9th, and private tours are available for groups. All ticket-holders must be 21+ and must sign a waiver before embarking on the tour. For more information, visit salemspiritstrolley.com.

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