Salem Jazz & Soul Festival This Weekend

The 4th Annual Salem Jazz and Soul Festival takes place at the Salem Willows this weekend!

This is a free, family-friendly festival of fabulous music! There will be music, music education classes, an arts and crafts fair, and a kid's play tent.

This year, they've added a 21+ BEER GARDEN! (Positive ID required). ( Thanks to the City of Salem, the Willows neighborhood and Ipswich Ale for making the beer garden possible.)

Check out the schedule, the FAQs, and other information on the Jazz & Soul Festival at SalemJazzSoul.com. Better yet - check out the festival!

Sailing Vessel Peacemaker to visit Salem Maritime National Historic Site

From August 9 to the 22nd, Salem Maritime will welcome the 400 ton barquentine Peacemaker to historic Central Wharf. “We are committed to having a lively visiting vessel program at Salem Maritime National Historic Site,” said site Superintendent Patricia Trap, “and Peacemaker is a modern example of the traditional shipbuilder’s art.”

Peacemaker originally built in 1989 in Brazil and intended as a charter vessel by a Brazilian industrialist. She was never completed, however, and in 2000, she was purchased by a community known as the Twelve Tribes. The Twelve Tribes community finished construction on the vessel, rigged her as a barquentine, and in 2007 began sailing her as an experiment in communal living at sea.

Peacemaker will be open to the public for free from August 10 to 22, 10 am to 7 pm on weekdays, and 10 am to 9 pm on the weekends. For more information, call 978-740-1660.

Edsels on Salem Common

There's a Ford Edsel convention in Salem this weekend, and as part of their festivities the Edsel owners put their cars on display on Salem Common today.





This just goes to show you never know what you're going to discover in Salem!


Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Set your course for the Salem Maritime Festival this weekend!

Set Your Course for Salem Maritime National Historic Site This Friday and Saturday, August 6 & 7

Salem Maritime Festival is happening this weekend, kicking off on Friday with Mango Blue, in an outdoor evening concert of Afro-Latin world music, integrating rhythm & blues, jazz, funk and Caribbean influences. Saturday is free family fun day, with a wide array of waterfront activities to delight visitors of all ages. Come celebrate four centuries of Maritime heritage at your National Park in Salem! For a complete schedule, visit the NPS website.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Free Harbor Cruises on the schooner Thomas E. Lannon of Gloucester, schooner Fame and vessel Finback of Salem.

9:00am - Central Wharf ticket booth opens
All Festival visitors are invited to enter the drawings for a ride on the ship of their choice. Random drawings will be held 30 minutes prior to each departure. Ticketed passengers (only) should be prepared for immediate departure down the Central Wharf gangway, and will come aboard, meet the crew and join in the hands-on activities. All children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult. Scheduled departures for the 90-minute boat rides are:
10:00 am - Fame (Ticket drawing at 9:30am)
10:15 am - Finback (Ticket drawing at 9:45am)
10:45 am - Thomas E. Lannon (Ticket drwg at 10:15am)
11:45 am - Fame (Ticket drawing at 11:15am)
12:00 noon - Finback (Ticket drawing at 11:30am)
1:30 pm - Fame (Ticket drawing at 1:00pm)

Kayak Trips
Rock, Paddle Surf will be providing kayaks for short trips in the harbor, and partnering with the Coast Guard Auxiliary on paddling safety.

Rowing Trips
Friendship's jolly boat will also be hosting short rowing trips in the harbor on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Live Music Program
11am-1pm Warszawiaki Orchestra
1-3pm Sharks Come Cruisin'
3-5pm New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus

Special Exhibit
Presented by Excelerate Energy, a marine life detection Research Buoy protecting marine mammals & right whales

PLUS!

Friendship of Salem open house
USS Constitution Master Drill Team
Sea-faring trade demonstrations of boatbuilding, coopering, rope making, cargo loading, sail-setting
17c Homes
Historical reenactments
Traditional crafts
Model Boats
Lobstering demonstrations
Small Boats exhibit

CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES

National Park Service Junior Ranger Program
Seaside kite flying
Environmental "Muck Walks"
Model boat building
Colonial Games
Face-painting
Fish printing
Horse-drawn wagon rides and more!

The Festival is organized by the National Park Service and Salem Maritime Festival Committee, with logistical support from the Salem Chamber of Commerce, Essex National Heritage Commission, the City of Salem and Derby Street Neighborhood Association.

To date, sponsors for this program include:
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
Excelerate Energy
1805 Custom House Realty Trust
Beverly Cooperative Bank
Shetland Park
Best Maps/Haunted Happenings.com
Fred J. Dion Yacht Yard, Inc.
Hawthorne Cove Marina
Instant Signal and Alarm
Michaud & Raymond Oil, Inc.
Salem Five Charitable Foundation
Salem Witch Museum
The Salem Inn
Bouchard and Sons

For more information, visit us on the web at nps.gov/sama or call 978-740-1650.

Free Trails & Sails invite you to explore the Essex National Heritage Area this weekend

Ah, fall - there's a chill in the morning air, the leaves are beginning to change, Salem businesses are decking their halls for October, and Trails & Sails: A Weekend of Walks and Water has come 'round once more. This is the eighth year of Trails & Sails, and the weekend has many devoted followers and fans. If you have not yet discovered Trails & Sails, this is your year. And, to make it easy for you, Trails & Sails is now two weekends - not one.

Trails & Sails is organized by the Essex National Heritage Commission, an organization that is based in Salem but that works to promote, preserve, and enhance the myriad historic, cultural, and natural assets in the Essex National Heritage Area. The Area includes the 34 communities of Essex County, Massachusetts, reaching from just north of Boston to the New Hampshire border.

Whether you are interested in sailing the high seas, a cemetery walk, historic architecture, or family activities - Trails & Sails has events to appeal to you. And it is all free. Free, I say!

Prepare yourself to be wooed during Trails & Sails, because Essex Heritage and the sites that are hosting all of these fabulous events want you to fall in love with the sites, the landscapes, and the region. Once you are hooked, they want you to become steward for the sites and ambassadors for the region.

It's not hard to do. This is a remarkable region with a wealth of assets and history. So go, explore, enjoy - and engage. Come back again and again, join the organizations and become and Essex Heritage Explorer. You'll love how much there is to explore.

Here are the Salem sites participating in Trails & Sails Salem, which is a great place to start!


1812 Privateer FAME: Go Sail
Cruise the historic waters of Salem Sound aboard our full-scale replica of the 1812 privateer schooner FAME! Aboard the new FAME, passengers learn about the fishermen, pirates, privateers, traders and men of war who shaped our North Shore. They learn about the fishing trade that prompted Cape Ann's first European settlements... the brave little schooners of George Washington's fleet... the East India trade that made Salem rich... and, of course, the privateers of the Revolution and the War of 1812. LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Location: Pickering Wharf Marina, Salem 01921. 978 729-7600
Website: SchoonerFame.com
Dates: 09-20 Sunday 1:00PM No reservations. Ticket booth opens at 12:30.

America's Best Idea Sneak Peak
Salem Maritime NHS is pleased to present a sneak preview of the upcoming Ken Burns film The National Parks: America`s Best Idea. A 45-minute preview of the six-episode series will be shown at 4:00 PM in the auditorium at the Salem Visitor Center.
Location: 2 New Liberty St, Salem 01970. 978-740-1650
Website: www.nps.gov/sama
Dates: 09-26 Saturday 4:00PM

Art meets Nature at PEM!
Listen to a story about circles in nature and create a giant collaborative mandala from colorful natural materials for everyone at PEM to see! Visit the new exhibition in the Art & Nature center, Trash Menagerie and discover the many ways in which artists use trash from their environment to create amazing works of art!
Location: East India Square, Salem 01970. 978-745-9500 x. 3076
Website: www.pem.org
Special Directions: First come, first serve.
Dates: 09-20 Sunday 3:00PM

Chestnut Street Stroll
Enjoy a leisurely stroll down Salem's Chestnut Street, often cited as one of the most beautiful streets in America. Learn about how this suburban neighborhood fit into an urban setting in the early 19th century. Presidents have dined in select homes, artists have created their masterpieces, and it has been home to generations of some of Salem's most prominent families. Participants will receive a discount coupon to visit the Phillips House on the day of the walk.
Location: Corner of Chestnut, Summer, and Norman , Salem 01970. 978-744-0440
Website: www.historicnewengland.org
Dates: 09-26 Saturday 10:00AM

Circuit of Salem Woods
Join in on a 2.5 miles leisurely walk over some steep terrain in historic Salem Woods. We will introduce the history of the woods and note some of the flora and fauna of this diverse habitat. If you'd like, bring along binoculars for bird watching and field guides to investigate something of interest along your walk!
Location: 65 Broad Street, Salem 01970
Special Directions: Park at the Olde Salem Greens Golf Course parking lot, 75 Willson Street, Salem MA. The trail head is at the farthest end of the parking lot as you enter from Willson Street. There is a large trail head sign that says Salem Woods/Highland Park
Dates: 09-26 Saturday 9:00AM

Dearest Dove
Join us for a theatrical performance of Dearest Dove: The Courtship of Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne written exclusively for The House of the Seven Gables. Witness this historic romance in a 30 minute production featuring Hawthorne's fabled love letters. LIMITED SPACE
Location: 115 Derby Street, Salem 01970. 978-744-0991
Website: www.7gables.org
Special Directions: Parking lot on site for use during visit.
Dates: 09-20 Sunday 2:00PM Sunday 9/20/2009 2:00 - 3:00pm

Hawthorne Hotel Tour
Hidden on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel is an exact replica of a cabin from the Salem vessel Taria Topan. For over three centuries this cozy cabin has served as the headquarters of Salem's oldest organization, the Salem Marine Society. Join us for a very rare visit to the Salem Marine Society. Learn why this unique site has its own story to tell, and how it has been connected to the Hawthorne Hotel for over 80 years. Event Length: 25-30 minutes
Location: 18 Washington Street, Salem 01970. 978-825-4364
Website: www.hawthornehotel.com
Special Directions: Free parking adjacent to Hawthorne Hotel
Dates: 09-19 Saturday 1:00PM 2:00PM 3:00PM Event length is 25-30 minutes

Junior Ranger Days
Earn your Junior Ranger badge while exploring Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Try your hand at planning your voyage to the Far East including places you've never traveled, decide which trade goods will make you the most money, round up the crew who will join you on this adventure - All during the Golden Age of Sail in the late 1700s! Explore and have fun!
Location: 191 Derby St., Salem 01970. 978-740-1660
Website: www.nps.gov/sama
Dates: 09-26 Saturday All Day Event 9am - 5pm, with tours throughout the day
09-27 Sunday All Day Event 9am - 5pm, with tours throughout the day

Lunch Hour at the Gedney House
Spend your lunch hour touring the Gedney House. Take a tour of the Gedney House, a stunning example of a Colonial American house, estimated to have been constructed circa 1665. The house is significant for its structural carpentry and for surviving early paint and decorative finishes. Take a peek into one of Salem's architectural and historic gems that very rarely opens it's doors to the public.
Location: 21 High Street, Salem 01970
Website: www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes/gedney.htm
Dates: 09-25 Friday All Day Event 12-1 and 1-2

Marine Lab Exploration
The Cat Cove Marine Laboratory is operated by Salem State College to promote the sustainable use of aquatic resources on the North Shore and elsewhere. Instruction, outreach and research activities are pursued by Laboratory staff. Fish, clams and other "critters" are spawned and reared as part of instructional, restoration and enhancement efforts. Participants will observe aquatic life and will learn how these organisms are used to understand and manage aquatic resources.
Location: 92 Fort St, Salem State College, Salem 01970. 978-642-6703
Website: www.salemstate.edu/biology/aquaculture
Dates: 09-18 Friday 3:00PM
09-25 Friday 3:00PM

Sophia Hawthorne's Salem
Join National Park Service Historian Emily Murphy as she portrays Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife Sophia on a 90 minute walking tour of historic Salem to celebrate Sophia's 200th birthday. This outdoor walking tour will visit spots familiar to the Hawthornes during their lives here in the early 19th century. Meet at the Hawthorne statue, Hawthorne Blvd.
Location: Hawthorne Blvd and Essex St., Salem 01970. 978-740-1650
Website: www.nps.gov/sama
Dates: 09-19 Saturday 10:00AM 2:00PM
09-26 Saturday 10:00AM 2:00PM

Tales From the Sea
Explore maritime art through objects that celebrate the grandeur of the sea and express seafaring life.
Location: East India Square, Salem 01970. 978-745-9500
Website: www.pem.org
Dates: 09-20 Sunday 10:00AM
09-27 Sunday 10:00AM

Walk Harmony Grove Cemetery
Join Historic Salem Inc's Sunday Walking Tour of the Harmony Grove Cemetery, Sunday September 27, 2009. The tour will be led by Margie Lavender, administrator of Harmony Grove Cemetery. Meet at the Cemetery Chapel at 1pm for this 90 minute excursion. This tour is free as part of the Trails and Sails Program.
Location: 30 Grove Street, Salem 01970. 978-745-0799
Website: www.historicsalem.org
Special Directions: Meet at the Cemetery Chapel
Dates: 09-27 Sunday 1:00PM

10 Free Things in Salem MA

Salem.org features a list of 10 Free Things to Do in Salem. It's a handy list to know, and any of the activities included will make for a lovely afternoon - especially when paired with an ice cream from Ben & Jerry's or Maria's Sweet Somethings - both of which are adjacent to the Heritage Trail.

Here's the abbreviated list. Click here for more complete information.

1. See the two free films at the National Park Service sites: Where Past is Present, and To the Farthest Ports of the Rich East.
2. Walk the African American History Trail and the Nathaniel Bowditch Trail: A Walking Tour of the Great Age of Sail.
   
3. The McIntire Historic District Walking Trail and beautiful Chestnut Street
   
4. The Ropes Mansion Gardens at 318 Essex Street.
   
5. Salem Common is a favorite spot for jogging, reading, concerts, and wedding ceremonies.
   
6. Take the half-mile walk out Derby Wharf to Derby Light and enjoy a beautiful view of Salem, Salem Harbor, and Marblehead.
7. Salem Willows offers a waterside park, beaches, and a pier that is great for fishing and crabbing.
8. Pause to reflect on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 at the Witch Trial Memorial.
9. Visit the Old Burying Point Cemetery (Charter Street).
10. Follow the Heritage Trail, which is the red line painted on the sidewalk.