festival – Page 14 – Salem Main Streets

What’s Halloween Without A Haunted Bazaar?

Salem Event, Salem Festivals 1 Response »

Oct 012015

Looking for that special gift that you just can’t find in a department store? Perhaps even hand-crafted? With a touch of the weird? Then, let us tell you about the Haunted Biz Baz, Saturday, Oct. 3rd & Sunday, Oct. 4th (weather permitting).

Seriously, if Salem MA didn’t have a spooky-themed street fair, how else would we kick off the first weekend of our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration of the season of Halloween? And what better way than to provide an additional enticement for visitors to just walk around town than to see the street-side vendors along with the brick and mortar stores.

Presented by the Salem Chamber of Commerce, this annual event, known as the Haunted Biz Baz has attracted tens of thousands of visitors over the last decade. What you’ll discover is a diverse mix of jewelry, crafts, handmade items, and just outright strange stuff, plus the Chamber adds a few street musicians along the way to liven the event even more so.

Past years have averaged 90 vendors, giving the shopping public a really great chance to ‘magically’ uncover some good bargains.

The Haunted Biz Baz can be found all along the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and adjacent streets Saturday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Most vendors take credit cards, but it is advisable to bring cash for the odd item. And we expect there to be a few that might catch your eye.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact the Salem Chamber of Commerce at 978-744-0004 or e-mail at info@salem-chamber.org.

Vintage Market + Derby Square = Great Saturday in Salem

Salem Event, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Sep 102015

Salem is a community whose ‘life’ is steeped in the past, be it the history found in the witchcraft trials or maritime adventures or architectural advancements. So it comes as no surprise that a group of local vendors would build upon that theme with a special Vintage Market, Saturday, September 12th, in historic Derby Square, from 10am – 3pm.

Explains Jane Stauffer, one of the organizers, “We’ll have old prints, paper and artwork, vintage toys, mod-clothing and jewelry, plus home decor, along with retro kitchen utensils, ceramics, glass and gardening items.”

Also featured will be a diverse selection of textiles and linens, salvage pieces and some books and ephemera on Salem.

“We have such a variety of dealers,” advises Stauffer “that there will be something of interest for everybody.”

The group of Salem area dealers includes Connie Hoar from “ The Chalifour Collection,” Diane Guerette from “Decades of Decor,” Ann Knight from “Cabbage Rose Antiques,” Stacia Kraft from “Federal St. Designs,” Jim McAllister from “Culture Corner,” Gus Sousa from “Collins Cove Appraisers and Conservators” and Stauffer from “Homemaker Collectibles.”

And here’s a special treat, several dealers also plan to bring Halloween and Holiday decorations from the past.

“We hope people will come by and browse. You never know what you might find,” advises Stauffer.

Providing musical entertainment at the Vintage Market from noon – 2pm will be Rachel Baldwin; she is appearing as part of the Creative Salem, Derby Square free music series program which has been presented every Friday and Saturday in Derby Square from noon – 2pm this summer.

Mid-century modern, retro kitchen, pottery, textiles, vintage toys, glassware, salvage, prints, art & old Salem ephemera— all in one place. A great Saturday day trip or date. And it’s in historic Salem! How can you pass that up?

First Friday Feels Right at Home on Pickering Wharf

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Aug 292015

Has it been a month already since the last First Friday at Pickering Wharf? If you missed FF last month, this Friday, Sept. 4th is your chance to experience the interaction between your five senses and all that the Wharf stores have to offer.

What began as a plan to recreate an 18th century shopping village theme at Pickering Wharf has evolved into a visually serene landscape dotted with an eclectic line-up of gift shops and many, many, many places to stop for lunch or dinner.

Then add to it the special touch of a First Friday when merchants stay open later and offer some extra special deals as a way of saying “thank you” to customers, and you have a great day trip / ladies night out / guy’s night out destination this coming Friday Sept.4th

For example, show a receipt from any wharf merchant on this First Friday of the month, and the restaurants will take 10% off of your lunch or dinner that same day or evening (10% discount applies to food at participating merchants 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar, Brodies Seaport, Finz Seafood and Grill, Longboards Restaurant and Bar, Regatta Pub in the Salem Waterfront Hotel, Sea Level Oyster Bar and Kitchen, Vic’s Boathouse & Victoria’s Station.).

Find a good deal and enjoy a good meal. Pickering Wharf is located off Derby Street in Salem MA.

Anime Comes Alive at Flying Saucer Restaurant

Contests, Salem Event, Salem Shopping No Responses »

Aug 232015

Remember Pokemon from your childhood? Or perhaps you are actively involved with some form of anime now? The videos and card games are still going strong. As is a much more grown-up and tightly written anime called Attack on Titan. Both of those as well as three other forms of anime will each have a day of exposure during the Flying Saucer Pizza Company special Anime Week, Aug. 24-28.

Explains Nicole Spirito, General Manager of Flying Saucer, “This is the first EVER Anime Week at Flying Saucer in our three years of being in business. We are well known for our creative intertwining of delicious pizza and good nerdy fun, and I decided that it was time for the anime/manga crowd to have a fun week just for them!”

Harrison’s Comics & Pop Culture in Salem is co-sponsoring the week long event and is supplying raffle prizes. It also holds Pokemon sessions & tournaments on Sunday afternoons.

She adds, “Harrison’s Comics has always been a loyal friend and partner with us as business owners in Salem, and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to have our worlds collide, so to speak. Many of our staff and customers are avid anime enthusiasts, and we all enjoyed collaborating on ideas to make this week fantastic.”

The night returns some fan pizza favorites, including the BULBASAUR and VEGETA – as well as introducing some lively cocktails. You are invited to wear your finest merch to receive some “awesome” Saucer freebies.

For those of you that don’t know about this art form, the word anime is a shortened version of animēshon and can be characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes.

According to Wikipedia, “The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917, and production of anime works in Japan has since continued to increase steadily. The characteristic anime art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of Osamu Tezuka and spread internationally in the late twentieth century, developing a large domestic and international audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, by television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the internet. It is classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences.”

In other words, anime is everywhere and enjoyed by males & females of all ages and nationalities.

The schedule (at posting time):

Monday – Pokemon
Tuesday – Naruto
Wednesday – Dragon Ball Z with a special screening of Resurrection F at 8pm
Thursday – Inuyasha
Friday – Attack on Titan with a late night screening from 11pm-1am

And, don’t forget, adds Nicole, “We’ll be raffling off killer memorabilia provided by Harrison’s Comics each night!”

Flying Saucer is located at 118 Washington St, in Salem MA. And Harrison’s is across the street from Flying Saucer at 252 Essex Street.

Heritage Days Offer A Slice of Pizza and Ice Cream on the Salem Common

Contests, Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Aug 022015

Whether you’ve come to Salem MA by car, motor bike, train, ferry, or bus, we hope you are enjoying yourselves during this week-long (Aug 1-9) Heritage Days celebration unfolding on our streets, sidewalks, harbor and grassy areas.

Continuing this week, two of the perennial favorites: Salem’s Best Pizza Contest and Ice Scream Bowl.

On Monday, beginning at 5pm (or sooner) there will be winding lines of people at the Salem Common waiting for the opportunity to sample pizza, vote on best pizza categories, and have a fun time interacting with other aficionados of the food that is sold at the rate of 3 billion pies annually in the U.S.

That is a lot of pizza. In fact, also according to Pizza.com, each person in America eats about 46 pizza slices a year. Average might be higher in Salem area when you consider that on Monday for a $7 donation fee (funds benefit the Salem YMCA) adults and kids (for a $5 ticket) get to sample from not one, not two, but several local pizza makers participating in this community event.

Advice: Bring a rectangular plastic container (the kind you use for leftovers) to hold your multiple pizzas.

This fan favorite is followed on Tuesday at 6pm, also at the Salem Common, by the Ice Scream Bowl where this time a number of participating ice cream shops have lined up booths for you to sample the best of the best in something perfectly suited for the warm weather we’ve been experiencing.

The confirmed list includes: Captain Dusty’s, Cherry Farm Creamery, Maria’s Sweet Somethings, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, and Salem Screamery.

North Shore 104.9 FM will be in attendance with fun games and takeaways, Elsa from “Frozen” will be making an appearance, and other kid’s activities will be available throughout the event.

Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $4 for children and proceeds benefit projects of Salem Main Streets.

According to IceCream.com it takes 50 licks to finish a single scoop ice cream and that 87% of Americans have ice cream in their freezer at any given time (and they are right, just checked the freezer and there are two pints in there!).

Advice: Bring muffin or cupcake bakeware containers to hold the ice cream, especially if children will be part of your entourage for the evening.

Following both events at 7pm the Salem Willows Shell will play host to musical performances that will round out your day. Monday will offer Salem Community Concert Band and Community Jazz Band, both of which are made up of Salem residents from grade 7 through adult. Tuesday, the North Shore Concert Band Series will present a “Salute to Swing” music from the Big Band Era, featuring the Gerry Barrett Swing Band.

These are just some of the many events scheduled during Heritage Days. Check the community calendar for other events on these and the remaining days of the Festival.

( Cover photo courtesy of John Andrews at SocialPalatesPhotography.com )

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