festival – Page 20 – Salem Main Streets

Paranormal Convention to Manifest Itself at Hawthorne Hotel

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Workshops No Responses »

Apr 082015

Do you sense something in the air? Some level of seismic activity of a paranormal nature? You would be tuning in to Salem Con, the first ever celebrity-filled paranormal convention, to be held in Salem Ma, April 10-12 at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Mass Ghost Hunters Paranormal Society, a Gloucester-based historical preservation and paranormal event group has established the weekend. Salem Con will be filled with celebrities, lectures and vendors. Paranormal and historical enthusiasts are welcomed.

Marc Arvilla, Founder/Lead Investigator explains “We decided to call it Salem Con because that’s exactly what it is. Yes it’s a paranormal conference, yes most folks involved are in the paranormal field, but this is also about Salem’s history, culture, and the true stories of the people that shaped this area.”

For example, among the speakers, Jeff Belanger hosts the New England Legends series on PBS and John Zaffis is the director of the Paranormal Research Society of New England.

Arvilla continues “Our goal for this conference is to teach people about the history of Salem, the history of paranormal investigating, and that they can have fun while doing it. If someone can walk away from this event learning something new it will be a success.”

The weekend begins with a “Celebrity VIP Party” on Friday April 10th from 8 pm to midnight at Nathaniel’s in the Hawthorne. Guests will mingle with their favorite celebrities and hear some of their “behind the scenes” stories.

And, who will be there on April 11th?

9 am JOHN TOBIN -“Exploring the Psychology of the Paranormal” with Chris DiCesare & Joe Chin
10 am JEFF BELANGER– “The Witches Warty Nose”
11 am BRIAN CANO – “‪#‎Paralosophy‬”
12 pm DUSTIN PARI – “The Bigger Questions”
1 pm JOHN ZAFFIS – “Q & A with John Zaffis”
2 pm TIM WEISBERG – “Maybe Ghosts WEREN’T People Too…Alternate Theories of the Paranormal”
3 pm SCOTT GRUENWALD – “God Ate My Lunch”
3:45pm MICHAEL DIAMOND – “Moving Forward

All lectures will take place in the Hawthorne’s Library Room.

“The Hawthorne Hotel seemed like the best choice for this event,” reveals Avilla. “The hotel has such a rich history and is central to everything there is to explore in Salem. When we approached Thomas MacDonald, the sales director at the Hawthorne, with the idea of a paranormal conference he offered his full support. Plus there is that ‘rumor’ that the hotel is haunted…”

Speaking of haunted, Gone Haunting will sponsor a “Celebrity Ghost Hunt” Saturday at 8pm. Location not yet revealed.

And what is a convention without vendors? The Hawthorne Ballroom will house the vendor area:

Deadly Grounds Coffee
Gone Haunting Apparel
The Generic Black Shirt Paranormal Group
Parahunter
Paranormal Warehouse
Brian J. Cano
John Zaffis
Dustin Pari
Jeff Belanger
Tim Weisberg
Scott Gruenwald
Christopher DiCesare
DTM Wicked Radio
Frank Cinelli
Paranormal For Paws
Gettysburg Ghost Gals
MGHPS
Rosalyn Bown
Salt City Paranormal
East Ghost Paranormal
S.T.U.R.S/Rise Up New Hampshire
Spirits of New England
White Light Research
Rome Investigators of the Paranormal
The Mechanical Meow
Paranormal Reactions
Author Joni Mayhan & Paranormal Xpeditions
The Mountain Gypsies
Rise Up Paranormal
Mirror Magazine
Dark Side Ink
Psychic Medium Coryelle Kramer
Raven Shoppe/Gotham Paranormal
Brooke’s Nook
Dawn Slocum
Black Cat Tours
Witch Tees

The weekend concludes with a Sunday morning breakfast at the Hawthorne where Mass Ghost Hunters Paranormal Society invites people to share some stories, revelations, even a “sighting” or two if anything happened from the previous night.

Sounds like an interesting effort to connect the dots between the paranormal and the history of Salem, while at the same time giving you the opportunity to have an entertaining & educational experience. For ticket and other information, go to http://www.mghparanormal.com/ or write to mghparanormal@gmail.com.

Express Yourself at Salem Arts Festival

Salem Event, Salem Festivals, SMS News, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Apr 072015

While a work of art can be subject to interpretation by people who see it… people must indeed see it first. If you are a local artist, the 2015 Salem Arts Festival is the perfect way to attract an audience; over 5000 visitors attended last year’s festival. As a local artist, you have been invited to submit for consideration your work for the Festival which takes place June 5-7, 2015. But, deadline for submission is April 10th.

The Salem Arts Festival is looking for art and performance for the sophisticated art patron as well as for the art novice including interactive events for children. It will engage participants of diverse backgrounds and ages by reaching out to current art patrons, local students, and the community at large.

All events take place in downtown Salem, within walking distance of each other and of public transportation.

The 2015 Salem Arts Festival will consist of:

a gallery of juried artists’ work in Old Town Hall;
outdoor stage venues for performance and dance at Derby Square and Artists’ Row;
a juried street fair on Essex Street Pedestrian Mall and Derby Square;
a collaborative public arts project – Front Yard Street Art.

For applications or other info go to www.salemartsfestival.com or contact Kylie Sullivan at kylie@salemmainstreets.org or call 978-744-0004, ext. 15

The Salem Arts Festival is organized by Salem Main Streets and a collaboration of Salem organizations that provide for the festival, including Creative Salem, Salem Arts Association, Salem State University’s Center for Creative and Performing Arts, and the Peabody Essex Museum. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Salem Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Slow Art Day— Time Well Spent at Salem’s PEM

History, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, Workshops No Responses »

Apr 062015

Explore the Peabody Essex Museum as you possibly never have before— and be part of a global experience as PEM joins other museums & organizations world-wide in celebration of Slow Art Day, Saturday, April 11th.

Slow Art Day ? Yes, you are invited to “take your time” for a closer look at art. Too often “appreciation” of art is measured more by the moving strokes of your watch than the brush strokes of the artist. In other words, for this one day, the world is being asked to stop and smell the roses of fine art.

Championed by The New York Times’ art critic, Michael Kimmelman, Slow Art Day is part of a global, grassroots movement with a simple mission: help more people discover the joy of looking at and loving art.

PEM welcomes you to explore from 10 am -2 pm suggested works in the galleries at your own pace. It’s ok; spend as many minutes as you need. Choose your own favorite works, or join PEM for discussions in the galleries of three selected objects to explore, at 10:30 am, 11 am, and 11:30 am. Then, join fellow visitors for lunch in the Atrium at 1 pm to discuss what you saw and felt.

Yes, share your perceptions. Absorb what others saw from their points of view. An inanimate painting or sculpture will create some animated discussions.

This year’s program will be led by Rebecca Rohloff from the Art & Design Department at Salem State University.

Registration is required for this free event. The Peabody Essex Museum is located at East India Square (161 Essex St) Salem. For additional details, call 978-745-9500.

(Photo by Robyn Gesek/PEM)

Salem Arts Festival Fundraiser— Celebrate Our Growth!

Salem Dining, Salem Event, Salem Festivals, SMS News, Volunteer Opportunities No Responses »

Apr 042015

A work of art is oft times a labor of love, so very true when it comes to the annual Salem Arts Festival. It takes time, planning, volunteers and your support to mount this fabulous popular free event which features over 60 artists and performers, and includes a variety of art, music, dance, and poetry performances. The Festival is set for June 5-7, 2015 and you are invited to join us for the Second Annual Salem Arts Festival Fundraiser this Thursday, April 9, 7:30-10:30 pm, for a night of local food, fashion, drink, dancing, and fun to support the Salem Arts Festival. Location will be at Old Town Hall at 32 Derby Square.

“The need for financial support is critical for the success of the festival, which doubled in size last year and welcomed over 5,000 attendees,” explains Kylie Sullivan, Manager of Salem Main Streets (SMS), the community non-profit organization which started the Festival. “We are committed to keeping the festival free and open to the public, but that means we need to raise some substantial funds.”

She adds, “Last year’s fundraiser was such an incredible party; it was the perfect way to introduce the renewed energy behind the Salem Arts Festival .”

We think this year’s fundraiser will kick off things on a high note as well.

The opening act will be Multiple Guys with Noise Machines, a group of teenage musicians that’s an offshoot of North Shore Jazz Project All Stars – – hooray for young musicians!

Party band, The Ward Eights will be returning again this year to get you on the dance floor.

Local boutiques will be participating in an onsite Fashion Show, including J. Mode, Ocean Chic Boutique, Addicted Fashions, The Boutique, and more! Make up will be provided by Rouge Cosmetics.

Food will be provided by The Lobster Shanty, Flying Saucer Pizza Company, the Hawthorne Hotel, Front Street Coffeehouse, and more to be announced soon.

The event will also include a number of great raffle prizes!

Tickets are $25 per person with a cash bar; proceeds directly benefit the Salem Arts Festival. Purchase by calling 978-744-0004 x15, visit 265 Essex Street (Salem MainStreets office), or go online.

The Salem Arts Festival is conducted as a collaboration of Salem Main Streets and a team of dedicated volunteers, including representatives from Creative Salem, Salem State University, the Peabody Essex Museum, and others.

The Salem Arts Festival is supported in part by a grant from the Salem Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Last year this fundraising event sold out – so get your tickets early, get ready to dance and feel like a real patron of the arts!

(In fact, if you’re interested in sponsoring the Salem Arts Festival Find out more at http://salemartsfestival.com/sponsorship/ ).

(All pictures courtesy of Social Palates)

Music to Our Ears: City of Salem Jazz Appreciation Day

Salem Event, Salem Festivals No Responses »

Apr 012015

Providing talented students with an opportunity to perform musically at no cost to the public is the high note for the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival organization. And no where is that so obvious than during the City of Salem Jazz Appreciation Day, April 4 from 2-4 pm.

Performing this year will be the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars, a big band composed of the North Shore’s premier high school-aged jazz musicians, directed by professional saxophonist Mike Tucker.

Larry Claflin Jr., the festival’s executive director offers some extra insight, “The NSJP All Stars played our main festival last year, and the crowd was blown away by their talent, so we thought we’d invite them back to be featured at Jazz Appreciation Day.”

The event, which kicks off Jazz Appreciation month, is produced in partnership with the City of Salem. Salem Five, a major festival sponsor, has donated the performing space in the Salem Five Community Room at 210 Essex Street on the Walking Mall.

The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is a nonprofit organization that produces free concerts and raises money to support music-education programs on Massachusetts’ North Shore. The season lasts May through August – when SJSF puts on monthly, free concerts in partnership with Berklee College of Music – and culminates in a two-day festival at the Salem Willows in mid-August, featuring local, regional and national bands.

The SJSF/Berklee Summer Series at Derby Square, Salem, with Berklee College of Music student bands, on May 9, June 13, July 11, and Aug. 8.
The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, a two-day concert at the Salem Willows, with 10 bands, a music-education tent, kids tent, 21-plus beer garden and artisans selling hand-made goods, Aug. 15-16.

Since 2007, SJSF has raised $50,000 for music-education causes north of Boston.

Show your support for young musicians, and be entertained at the same time. A Salem Saturday well-spent, and at no cost!

For more info visit salemjazzsoul.org.

Older Entries Newer Entries