Holidays – Page 17 – Salem Main Streets

The Party Is Over….. Maybe…

Nov 012013

It’s close to midnight….. and something evil’s lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight …..you see a sight that almost stops your heart

Setting aside the eerie sights that these lyrics evoked in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” in Salem these lyrics highlight the sights from last night as thousands upon thousands of humans, demons and whatevers (see the fellow to the below/ right) celebrated Halloween 2013.

Then magically and orderly disappeared. Poof.

We won’t have the numbers for a few days, but it was crowded.

Visitors and locals, having a good time, then hopefully in the days to come telling friends & families about what Haunted Happenings is all about in Salem, MA. Friendly folks, shocking scares, dandy deals, and fabulous food. Glad you had a good time!

We want to take a moment to thank all our great Salem Main Streets volunteers who gave of their time and energy. But also this year to the community members who came through for the Destination Salem “Shutdown” table when it was needed. And to the city workers involved in Haunted Happenings from the beginning to the middle to the end. As well as law enforcement for making it a safe evening.

Plus thanks to the Attractions & Downtown Merchants for getting involved in this crazy time and each in their own way contributed to the atmosphere of Haunted Happenings 2013.

BUT— unlike the werewolf who crawls out only with the full moon or the vampire who only rises at night, Salem has a life beyond the framework of October. Come back and visit us another time; as one local blogger has pointed out, Salem just loves its multi-day festivals. From Haunted Happenings to Heritage Days to restaurant week (next week!) to Salem So Sweet, our Downtown merchants strive to be your year ’round destination.

You can be strange, just don’t be a stranger.

Keeping the Kid in Halloween

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Oct 012013

Before the Halloween celebration is ravaged by the hordes of grown-ups and the wild costumes, we in Salem make sure the children get their day in the sun (so to speak…).

The Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. If you know anything about Salem Ma and our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration, you have heard of this march around town.

This year step off is at 6:30pm on Oct. 3; it begins at Shetland Park, ambles through Salem, and ends at the Common. The theme is “Books Come Alive.” Most any resident in Salem can tell you they were either a parent, relative or neighbor of some child who marched in the parade— or they were in the parade themselves.

According to Rinus Oosthoek, Executive Director, Salem Chamber of Commerce, “It is a night-time tradition that brings out the entire city and people from all of the surrounding cities and towns to kick off the Halloween season. It is filled with color, pageantry, music and the enthusiasm of thousands of Salem’s students from kindergarten to college age and local business owners.”

To mount such an undertaking, though, The Chamber of Commerce is still looking for volunteers to help.

Volunteers will be helping with:

Helping participants find their spot in the parade
Lining up the 8 parade line-up sections
Finding banner carriers in their section (or walking/carrying the banner in the parade themselves).
All volunteers can join the VIP’s at the end of the Parade on the Grandstand in front of the Common.

It’s fun and we call the event “organized chaos” from start to finish…., and we hope you can help.

Volunteers should be at the entrance to Shetland Office park between 5-5.30pm to receive their assignment and pick up their volunteer T-shirt.

Contact the Chamber at info@salem-chamber.org or call 978-745-3855.

If that wasn’t enough, Friday night, Oct. 4, there are two more events in which the little ones can participate.

The Mayor’s Night Out (3-10pm) is when Mayor Kimberly Driscoll, in partnership with Salem’s attractions and museums, welcomes Salem residents to check us out on our dime. Salem residents (kids too) with ID, are admitted free to attractions and museums. ID also provides free parking in the East India Mall garage after 4pm. Look for “Mayor’s Night Out” signs at participating businesses.

Our mayor is a busy person…. you can Join Mayor Driscoll for Trick-or-Treating at the East India Fountain. We will Trick-or-Treat along the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall, The Museum Place Mall Shops, and beyond. Trick-or-Treat Bags provided. Costumes encouraged. Parents bring the kids. Kids bring your parents.

For more information on these two events, call Salem City Hall at 978-745-9595.

Haunted Happenings Honored

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Sep 152013

Salem MainStreets has always known that Haunted Happenings is an event worthy of national recognition. Now others not only know it, they are spreading the word. The American Bus Association (ABA) has announced that our month-long celebration is one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2014

ABA’s Top 100 Events in North America is an annual compendium of the best events for group travel in the United States and Canada. Each spring, a committee of ABA-member motorcoach and tour operators selects the Top 100 Events for the subsequent year; the list is unveiled in September. Winners are chosen from hundreds of celebrations, festivals, fairs, commemorative events, and more that have been nominated by ABA members.

“The attractiveness of Salem Haunted Happenings as a don’t-miss entertainment value is only part of why its selection this year is such a distinction for Salem,” said Peter J. Pantuso, CTIS, ABA’s president and CEO. “The real news here is that Haunted Happenings has been recognized as a potential magnet for tourism dollars, at a time when re-energizing domestic tourism is so important to our spirit and our economy. The honor gives Salem, Massachusetts an important boost in visibility among professional tour planners.”

The Top 100 Events receive worldwide attention via the media–television, radio, and print–such as USA Today and CNN. ABA distributes some 10,000 copies of the Top 100 Events in North America magazine, featuring the winners, to all of its members and to thousands of travelers worldwide.

“Motorcoach groups spend more and stay longer,” Pantuso said. “That’s why Haunted Happenings is truly a local economic asset. There is no better way to jump-start tourism than to attract motorcoach groups to a great event and convince them to extend their stay.”

And unlike most other “celebrations, festivals, fairs, commemorative events,” ours is neither a one nor two day event; it is 31 days & nights filled with music, art, history, entertainment, costumes and magical moments.

Check out the several spots Salem Ma has designated for motorcoaches. Then, women & men, leave the driving to them.

Wanted: Ambassadors To Share Salem

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Sep 082013

September means many things to people along the North Shore, but here in Salem it foretells the approach of October and our month-long celebration of all things Halloween-related.

As Salem prepares for its busy October tourist season, residents are invited to help people who come to the Witch City that month make the most of their visit.

“Salem Main Streets is recruiting 60 – 80 volunteer ambassadors to staff the downtown information booth during October weekends and Halloween day itself; the booth is located at the Essex Street pedestrian mall,” announces Judy Kearney, co-coordinator (along with Mira Riggin) of the SMS booth project. The ambassadors will hand out maps to tourists and provide them with information about Salem’s attractions, businesses and October events.

She adds, “There is also a particular need for multilingual ambassadors to assist international visitors.”

Each volunteer ambassador will be asked to commit to two, two-hour shifts and to complete a training program scheduled for 9:30am on September 21 at the National Park Service Regional Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty Street.

The downtown information booth operates each year in October and last year assisted more than 27,500 visitors.

For more information or to become a volunteer ambassador, email Judy Kearney at judykearney830@gmail.com, Mira Riggin at mriggin2@comcast.net, or call Salem Main Streets at 978 744-0004.

Downtown Tree Lighting Friday

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Nov 212012

Don’t miss the Downtown Salem Tree Lighting in Lappin Park Friday, November 23 at 6:30 p.m. After you stagger home from Black Friday shopping stop downtown for dinner and the annual Tree Lighting. Enjoy the lovely sounds of the season by the Paul Madore Singers starting at 6:00 p.m. The tree is made possible through the generous support and donations of John and Sally Hayes for donating the tree, Matt Kaminski and Meeting House church for tree locating and coordinating and donating funds, Mayer Tree Service putting the tree in place, Bills Auto Clinic for transporting the tree, Gary Gill for his work decorating the tree and fundraising, Delande Lighting for donating lights, David and Jackie Eng for decorations donation, Tache, Tony Lena and North Shore Fruit Basket for donations, donations made in memory of Juliette Marquis and the Department of Public Works for all their efforts in installing the tree and downtown decorations. Happy Thanksgiving!

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