Holidays – Page 15 – Salem Main Streets

“Fantasy” to Become Reality as Theme for Halloween Parade

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Sep 162014

Photo courtesy Social Palates

Preparations are underway for the 19th Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. Step off is Thursday, Oct. 2nd for this gathering of young and old to launch our month-long celebration of Halloween, Salem’s “5th Season.” This year’s event will feature the theme “Fantasy.”

But the parade has expenses, and that is where the Chamber looks to merchants in the community to help defray the costs of extra police, ambulance, security, advertising, staging, etc.

This is accomplished through sponsorships of banners to be carried within the parade. For more info call 978-745-3855 or go to the Chamber of Commerce website. Deadline is this Friday, Sept. 19th.

As for the parade itself, you need be neither magician nor crystal ball gazer to foresee an endless choice of costumes based on many fantasy themed movies and books; expect to see a lot of characters from Frozen, Harry Potter, Narnia, Spiderman as well as Ghostbusters (30 year anniversary and re-release), Avatar and Hunger Games.

This time honored kick off of the Halloween season is full of color, pageantry, music and the enthusiasm of thousands of Salem’s students from kindergarten to college and our local business owners. Their participation is what makes this a highly successful, cherished event for our community, neighbors and visitors.

Puzzled As To What To Do?

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Jul 292014

Puzzles to the right, puzzles to the left. It’s a puzzling sight. This Friday through Sunday, Aug. 1-3, the Hawthorne Hotel will be THE meeting place for the 12th annual Puzzle Parley.

What is a Puzzle Parley? Since 1994, the Puzzle Parley has brought together people passionate about jigsaw puzzles. Anyone interested in making, collecting, assembling, displaying, discussing, or buying and selling jigsaw puzzles, whether young or old, new or veteran, is invited to attend and participate. Registration is required, check out their website for full details.

These are the firm, wood-cut puzzles rather than the die-cut cardboard type.

According to the National Museum of Play, around 1760, English mapmaker John Spilsbury pasted one of his maps to a board, cut around the borders, and created the first jigsaw puzzle. The first American puzzles appeared around 1850 and in 1908 Parker Brothers introduced its Pastime puzzles, featuring pieces cut as animals, letters, and geometric shapes.

At the 12^th Parley, there will be a special workshop for beginner puzzle cutters, as well as plans for a tour of the First Church of Salem, with special attention to the Parker family stained glass window and its game symbolism. Plus, a panel “How to sell puzzles in the Internet Age, ” a session on restoration, and a session on puzzle box repair.

Why hold this popular event at the Hawthorne? Bob Armstrong, one of the founders of the Parley explained “We’ve had several locations over the years. But we liked the ambiance of the Hawthorne Hotel. It is not a modern ultra sterile building. It has an old-fashioned decor that goes well with vintage puzzles.”

New this year, though, is a Sunday Puzzle Fair. Armstrong explains “Traditionally our meetings concluded with table sales. But we added Sunday 1-3 pm segment to the Parley, free of charge and open to the general public,” to open up the viewing potential.

See both new and vintage wooden jigsaw puzzles.
Peruse the history of jigsaw puzzle cutting.
Sit down, relax and try your hand at assembling different types of wooden jigsaw puzzles.
Chat with other jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts.

Several puzzle cutters and sellers from all over the country who are attending the Parley will be displaying their works. There will be puzzles for sale and exhibits that show the history and diversity of high-end wooden jigsaw puzzles.

Sounds like a typical, change of pace Salem Ma event.

New Year’s Resolution: Open A Business In Salem Ma

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Jan 042014

You have been talking about launching your own business for the last year; you’ve been dreaming about it for longer than that. We are of course biased in support of the diverse Salem Ma Downtown District as your future location. So don’t take our word for it. However, Small Business Trends has mapped out the “Top 50 Small Business Shopping Destinations to Visit” and not one but six Massachusetts communities are on it— including Salem:

“… retail has become big box stores and moved to strip shopping centers and malls. But there are still communities across the United States that have thriving small business districts where local entrepreneurs abound. We’ve identified 50 of the standouts…”

While the survey may have as its purpose to give shoppers a bird’s eye view of small business friendly destinations, it is also a close-up on communities which are successful incubators for budding owners of such businesses— notably Salem Ma.

From the January 2012 report of the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy:

“Small businesses continue to be incubators for innovation and employment growth during the current recovery. Small businesses continue to play a vital role in the economy of the United States. They produced 46 percent of the private nonfarm GDP in 2008…”

That could be your business.

And, according to the US Census Bureau Data (2009):

“There were 5.8 million employer firms in the U.S. Firms with less than 20 workers made up 89.7 percent of these businesses.”

Salem stands ready to support you. Salem Main Streets. The Salem Chamber of Commerce. The City of Salem. Destination Salem. We are rich in organizations to answer every question and help you along the way. We actively support and work with our businesses through festivals, events, and national activities such as Small Business Saturday.

And then there are the businesses along the Downtown District themselves. Best resources of info. Don’t take our word for it. 2014 is here. Resolve it’s time to stop thinking and time to act on your dream.

Gables Tour— Christmas Banned In Salem

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Dec 082013

Christmas in New England. Today a warm picture of snow outside the home with family gathered around a tree & gifts, or family gathered around the dinner table, smiling and ready for a feast of food. But ’twas not such in early Massachusetts history. And no, you can’t blame the Salem witches for that.

As part of the annual Christmas Tours of the Gables, this year you’ll find much discussion about the fact that Christmas was banned in New England for nearly two centuries. The House of the Seven Gables is offering daily, now through Dec. 31 from 10am to 5pm, a special tour blending the unique history of the mansion with the little known history of Christmas in colonial Massachusetts.

The Puritans bristled at the day being used solely for “reveling.” It was seen as sacrilegious that the day was given over to drinking, feasting and all manner of over-indulgence, instead of quiet contemplation.

Take the tour to hear the story of how the Puritans got their way outlawing Christmas in 1659 and how the holiday inched its way back into the hearts of the population so that Massachusetts officially legalized Christmas in 1856.

Explore the maritime, architectural and literary history of the house and discover Christmas’ transformation from a rowdy seasonal celebration to the peaceful family-centered traditions we recognize today. The rooms of the mansion will be decorated for the holiday tour by local interior decorators, historical societies, and florists.

200 years of history in a walking tour— and you get to see the charming rooms of the House of the Seven Gables; that is a nice present to give to your family, or just yourself.

This special tour is offered during regular hours in December except during the production of A Classic Christmas. Closed Christmas Day. Open on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, 10am-2pm. For more details on the Tour, please call 978-744-0991.

Sights and Sounds of Santa in Salem

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Dec 072013

Ho Ho Ho! Had you been part of the crowd we had at the Hawthorne on Friday night, you would have been shouting that along with the bright-eyed kids anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus.

It was a great evening and we thank the moms and dads who brought their children out.

We also want to thank all the people and organizations that helped to publicize and share the news about this event so residents and neighbors could participate. There were blogs, Tweets and Facebook postings.

And we especially need to thank all those who participated in this special event: The Hawthorne Hotel, Salem Common Neighborhood Association, 62 Restaurant, Salem YMCA, Arbella Drum & Bugle Corps, Singers in Common, Brian Donnelly, the Museum Place Mall, Salem’s Vintage Photography, Witch Tees, Bewitched in Salem, Glass and Etc., and the Paul Madore Chorale – not to mention the City of Salem and our incredible Fire Department!

For those of you who could not make it there: the Vine video below (thank you Salem News & Hawthorne Hotel).

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