May 152014
 

Bicyclists may outnumber pedestrians and motorists in Salem Ma this Thursday from 6-9pm as the Peabody Essex Museum presents Free Wheeling: Bike Night as the next entry in the PEM/PM monthly evening party series.

Bike at PEMBike enthusiasts will mingle & network as they celebrate the art, design and style of the bicycle with music, art making, food, cocktails and conversation. These are the staples of PEM evening series.

And for this particular night, The Peabody also encourages B.Y.O.B. — bring your own bike!

According to the 2012 National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors, 18 percent of the population age 16 or older, rode a bicycle at least once during the summer of 2012. The same survey also reported the average length of a bicycling trip taken on a typical day during the summer was 65.2 minutes.

We bring this up because with temperatures rising, more people will be hitting the road on their own or as part of a bike club. This PEM experience will give them the opportunity to “see decked out art bikes, meet folks from the area’s bike scene, help create an interactive biking map and add a little bling to your own two wheels.”

Featured PEM/PM guests include:

Bikes Not Bombs — Based in Jamaica Plain, this organization shares how to use the bicycle as a vehicle for social change.

SCUL — A bike chopper gang based out of Somerville brings sculpted cycle masterpieces and tall bikes to Salem. The group has appeared on the PBS show Design Squad.

Salem Bike Path Committee — Members share their favorite bike routes and information about Salem Spins, a bike share program.

Forrest James — an American dreamwave recording artist, producer, composer and DJ provides live music.

Local bike shops demonstrate how to fix a flat and provide safety tips.

Cash bar and a special small plates menu from the Hawthorne Hotel will be available for purchase. This month’s PEM/PM is sponsored by MINI of Greater Boston. For more information, visit www.pem.org.

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May 102014
 

School is in session this Saturday as Education Day breaks out all over Salem Ma. But it will be unlike anything you’ve seen before. Classes are in skin care, recycling, rope making, mixology, Farmers Market, photography and more.

Education DayThe Salem Education Foundation is presenting the “2nd Annual Hats Off to Education Weekend” as a way of promoting community involvement and investment in the public schools of Salem, Ma.

The schedule as posted by SEF includes:

Workshops and Fun Activities, at Old Town Hall, 10am – 3pm
・    The Community Development Coalition will host a bilingual scavenger hunt in Old Town Hall and visitors can take part in a session titled “Journey through the Immigrant Experience”
・    TD Bank will offer finance classes for teens and adults
・    John Andrews of Social Palates and “we_are_Salem” will offer a photography class
・    The House of The Seven Gables will offer bilingual “Dominican Tales”
・    Salem Historical Tours will speak about the city’s rich history
・    The North Shore Career Center will offer workshops on how to build a resume and find a job
・    Henry Miller’s Architecture Lab at Boston Architectural College will offer two hour long workshops on how to build a speaker for your handheld device. Space is limited for this workshop. Please register by emailing Henry.Miller@the-bac.edu
・    Additionally, children will have the opportunity to look at gemstones, learn about beekeeping, brush up on their Harry Potter facts, learn about the importance of recycling, healthy food and gardening and engage in arts activities

Free Community Read Book, Old Town Hall, 10am – 3pm
・    The Community Advisory Board will give away copies of “The Good Thief,” written by Hannah Tinti, a Salem native. This is the book selected for the city of Salem’s first Community Read.

Activities at the Salem Common will include:
・    The Hogwarts Hustle Kids’ Fun Run at 10:30am This is a half-mile fun run for kids age 12 and under. There will also be a dash for kids 4 and under. Kids are encouraged to dress as their favorite Harry Potter characters. Finisher ribbons will be awarded to the first 100 runners
・    12 noon Basketball Tournament! Email Andre at adaley@bgcgs.org
・    Adults and children alike can have a Zumba experience with the energetic Gina Grinarml
・    Learn circuit training with Kerry Murphy
・    Play in a basketball game with Mayor Kim Driscoll
・    Hula hoop and free dance to the rhythms of Mamadou’s drummers!

Performances, at Old Town Hall, 10am – 3pm
・    The Salem High School Jazz Band
・    Destination Imagination team Challenges
・    School-age Latin and African dancers from Greg Coles and his Salsa for the Schools program
・    A theater group and other local talents

The SEF mission is to provide funding for projects that further students’ educational experiences in science, mathematics, the arts and humanities. It supports projects that go beyond the scope of those funded by the Salem Public School Department. And it works with the larger community to make schools a true community enterprise by promoting and coordinating volunteerism and participation in the schools.

Learn something and have a lot of fun.

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Apr 292014
 

Mass PoetryLetters become words, words become phrases, and phrases become ideas. Then gifted writers craft it all into messages for poems. Those writers, words and poems will be honored later this week as the annual Massachusetts Poetry Festival will be held from May 2 – 4 in downtown Salem.

Participating poets include Kim Addonizio, Lucie Brock-Broido, Rafael Campo, Oliver de la Paz, Carol Ann Duffy, Cornelius Eady, Rhina Espaillat, Forrest Gander, David Ferry, Li-Young Lee, Philip Levine, Marge Piercy, Susan Rich, Vivian Shipley, and C. D. Wright.

But more than just poems though, the Festival also offers workshops, panels, readings, music, visual arts presentations, and a book fair featuring small presses and literary magazines.

As stated on the Mass Poetry website: “It’s a perfect time to celebrate poetry, meet up with old friends that share your love of words, and make new friends.”

To find out more about the Festival go to their website.

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Apr 272014
 

Yes, almost the same headline as yesterday’s blog, because today, Sunday April 27th offers yet another day of fun-filled community events:

5K Road Race & Fun Walk, 9-10am

Wicked Good Books Giveaway, 10am – 2pm

Y Art show at Gulu Gulu, 4-6pm

A mostly flat and fast course awaits an expected 400 runners and walkers today during the 18th Annual North Shore Wellness Fair 5K Road Race & Fun Walk. The race, hosted by Salem State University, promotes and encourages a healthy lifestyle. Proceeds benefit LifeBridge, the Northeast Animal Shelter and the Wellness Center at Salem State University. Streets along the race route near Canal Street and Lafayette Street will be affected during the race time, which is from approximately 9-10am.

Be there, bring a chair, breathe fresh air.

Free Books Wicked Good BooksAfterwords, you can run or jog over to our brick and cobblestone Pedestrian walkway on Essex Street for Day #2 of the Great Book Giveaway. It’s a BYOB (bring your own box or bag) free book event. Where The Derby Bookstore once stood, soon will be Wicked Good Books, 215 Essex St. Surplus books in the changeover are being made available to the public today as they were yesterday.

What kind of books are there for the taking?

From the Wicked Good Books Facebook page “We have quite a mix left for FREE, including lots of mysteries, gardening, cookbooks, and self-help, and a HUGE assortment of Young Adult. Please share!”

Speaking of sharing, Salem YMCA program participants will offer for your viewing pleasure over 140 pieces of art, courtesy of the Gulu Gulu Cafe. Head to the Y Art Show at the Gulu, 247 Essex St, from 4-6pm, and if you see something you like then bid on it to support the Y! The day will include a silent auction, music, art, and fun! Music by Jeff Savlon & Brian Donnelly.

Co-sponsor, Salem Collective of Artists and Musicians (SCAM), assisted by holding an art workshop with the Y kids and in hanging the artwork!

All proceeds benefit Salem YMCA childcare programs and initiatives.

It will be another great day to visit Salem Ma. We welcome you to our community.

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Apr 132014
 

Celebrities and TV icons” will flood the streets of Salem on April17th as the Peabody Essex Museum presents “Tune In“, its next episode of the highly popular monthly PEM/PM open late party series. The theme is a tribute to pop culture, especially 1960s TV sitcoms.

PEM-PMOf course the attendees will really be the general public in costume, representing their favorite over-the-top TV icons. Considering the creative minds on the North Shore, we can expect to see Lucy, Samantha, and Jeannie. Because this is Salem, no doubt a few vampires and werewolves will join in as well (remember the Addams Family and The Munsters?).

This dance party is being presented in collaboration with Go Out Loud, Salem’s LGBT & modern equality organization; entertainment for this high-energy dance party will be by DJ Gay Jim Clerkin (KISS 108, Matty in the Morning).

Other activities of the evening include a chance to show off your ‘60s sitcom knowledge in a trivia contest, a drag performance by Joslyn Fox of RuPaul’s Drag Race, an appearance from The Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and a photo booth with fashion photographer Corey Banda.

You can also enjoy cocktails and small plates from the Hawthorne Hotel, try your hand at making far-out paper dolls and tour PEM’s newest exhibition, California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way.

This evening of music, dancing, cocktails, costuming, art making and games will take place from 6-9pm. Entry is free to members and Salem residents; admission to nonmembers is $10 at the door.

For more info call 866‐745‐1876 or visit the PEM Web site at www.pem.org

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