Jazzy Blues Brunch

Here's a fun idea for brunch on Sunday, May 15.  I hear that Whose Muddy Shoes is a great band, and the Waterfront Hotel is a lovely location.  Proceeds from the brunch benefit Salem Main Streets, which needs our support to continue producing the excellent events that bring vibrancy to downtown Salem, including the Farmers' Market, Salem Arts Fest, Salem So Sweet, and others. 

Tickets for Jazzy Blues Brunch are $35 per person and are available in advance at the Salem Chamber of Commerce at 265 Essex Street in Salem, at Rouge Cosmetics on Derby Street or by calling 978-744-0004. 

More information on Jazzy Blues Brunch and on Salem Main Streets is available at www.salemmainstreets.org.

Celebrate Mother's Day at the Garden Restaurant in the PEM

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a sumptuous brunch prepared by Hawthorne Catering and served in the Garden Restaurant at the Peabody Essex Museum. Visit the museum galleries* and the Museum Shop, where you can exchange your brunch voucher for a complimentary gift just for Mom!

Mother’s Day Brunch | For Reservations and Information, Call 978-745-9500, ext. 3157
Brunch $36 (children under 12, $15.95) plus tax & gratuity | PEM Members get 10% discount
 

*Museum admission rates apply for nonmembers.

This week's Arts schedule at Salem State

We are so fortunate to share Salem with a fantastic University.  The students, faculty and their families add vibrancy to downtown, and the programing at Salem State enriches our cultural landscape.

Here's the schedule for this week.  Salem State's arts and cultural events are posted on the calendar at Salem.org on an ongoing basis, so you don't need to wait for me to post them on the blog!  Browse the calendar for these and other great events.  

By the way, all of these events are free, and thus fit into any budget! 

 

Art

Student Honors Art Exhibition – Jessi Hardesty, Printmaking– April 25 through May 5. Salem State University, Winfisky Gallery. Ellison Campus Center. 352 Lafayette St. Hardesty is an art + design major and a psychology minor who explores dramatic, expressive subject matter through her printmaking. Her exhibition showcases a series of large-scale prints and drawings that focus on heads, faces and figures. An artist reception will be held April 27 at 6 pm. The Winfisky Gallery is open Mon. through Fri. from 10 am to 2 pm, or by appointment. Free. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

Creative Writing

Poets Lisa Olstein and David Daniel – April 28, 7:30 pm. Salem State University. Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Ellison Campus Center. 352 Lafayette St. Celebrate the end of National Poetry Month with readings by these award-winning poets. Free. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

Dance

Movements of Inspiration – April 30, 7:30 pm. Salem State University. Multipurpose Gym, O’Keefe Center. 225 Canal St. This end of semester concert will include choreography by professors Caitlin Corbett and Meghan McLyman and Presidential Arts Scholars Dee Ascolese, Maxie Holman and Alicia Knight. Tickets available at the door. $10 general/$7 students and seniors. Free with valid Salem State student ID. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

Music

Chamber Orchestra – April 27, 7:30 pm. Salem State University. Recital Hall, Central Campus. 71 Loring Ave. The Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Mary-Jo Grenfell features faculty piano soloist Dr. Sanae Kanda. Dr. Kanda will perform Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-flat Major, K. 450 by W.A. Mozart. Free. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

*World Music and Percussion Enembles – May 2, 7:30 pm. Salem State University. Recital Hall, Central Campus. 71 Loring Ave. Free. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

*University Concert Band – May 3, 7:30 pm. Salem State University. Recital Hall. 71 Loring Ave. Dr. Mark Adrich conducts a concert of “Folk Songs for Wind Band” featuring the compositions of Vaughan Williams, Holst and Grainger. Free. 978.542.7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts.

Spring into Health the Witch City Way

 

The second annual Salem Health & Wellness Week is right around the corner!  Our health and wellness businesses are collaborating to provide a week to refocus your health and exercise routine.  We'll all need it after April vacation and the April holidays!

Scheduled for May 1 - 7, 2011, Health & Wellness Week is organized by Salem Main Streets and will feature eighteen participating businesses.  There will be discounts, raffles, promotions and prizes throughout the week.  Each business will be giving away raffle prizes so the more businesses you visit, the more chances you have to win! Health and Wellness postcards are available at all of the participating businesses as well as in local shops in and around downtown.

Participating businesses include: A Sacred Place Wellness Center, Aleris Dental, B&S Fitness Programs, B&S Sport Science, Body and Soul Massage and Wellness Center, The City of Salem Park, Recreation, and Community Services Department, DWMMA Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, Extra Effort Fitness, Green Tea Yoga, Healthworks Fitness Center, Lasting Impressions Skin and Nail Boutique, Laura Lanes Skin Care, LivingWell, Salem Chiropractic Center, Sankofa Massage & Bodywork, Susan MacFarlane Massage Therapy and the Wicked Running Club. Be sure to visit the Salem Main Streets website for the latest information and schedule of events.

Mondays are Family Night at the Lyceum!

Mondays are FAMILY NIGHT and Kids eat FREE!!

Here's a great new option for families who want to eat well with the kids. The Lyceum has a new Family Night program, which means every Monday night, kids eat free! Their new kids menu uses the same healthy ingredients that you find on the main menu, featuring fresh ingredients prepared to order.  

Don't tell the kids, but there will even be vegetables on their plates!  

Check out the menu at TheLyceum.com.  (One of my favorite combinations is a cup of the fabulous chowder, followed by a burger.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a burger that has been expertly prepared by a kitchen that is capable of so much more.)

To make reservation, call 978-745-7665.

 

Wizard of Paws

Here's a great excuse to get out and support the Northeast Animal Shelter.  The Wizard of Paws fundraiser will be at the Hawthorne Hotel on May 12. 

Celebrate Easter in Salem

I can't say that Easter has snuck up on us this year, because Easter is actually rather late this year.  But it still feels like it's snuck up on us.  So, if you're like me and haven't quite finished your Easter shopping, still need something springlike to wear (that's warm enough to fend off New England shivers), and have to feed a family in a celebratory fashion this Sunday, here's a quick list to help you get it all done.

Chocolate

First off, chocolate.  We need chocolate, right?  There are two excellent chocolate options in Salem.  You can head over to Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie on Derby Street. They have a complete collection of bunnies (white, dark, milk), eggs (milk, malted, jelly), peeps (chocolate dipped, yum!), and other Easter essentials to fill your baskets.  Or, drive to Leavitt Street (off Congress Street, past Shetland Office Park) to Harbor Sweets where you will find the most insanely fabulous milk chocolate bunnies you've ever eaten the ears off of.  Harbor Sweets bunnies have different fillings depending on the area of the bunny, so every bite is a delight.  Back on Front Street, Maria's Sweet Somethings has a full array of chocolates and gifts to fill your Easter baskets.  From truffles to fudge, Maria's is a shop full of decadent treats!

Shop
Once you've got the chocolates under control, you probably need a few gifts for the baskets.  Head to Mud Puddle Toys and Coon's Cards & Gifts on Essex Street.  Between the two shops you can find whimsical toys and gifts for the kids in your Easter morning.

Dress
Will you be wearing a bonnet on Sunday?  If you need that perfect ensemble to accompany your bonnet, try Signatures Apparel on Essex Street, J. Mode on Front Street, and Two Girl's Shop on Derby Street.  These unique boutiques have an array of women's fashion and will guarantee you'll look great on Easter Sunday.

Dine
You'll have to show off the new outfit, which we hope will not have chocolate finger prints on it, at brunch on Sunday.  We have no shortage of Easter Brunch options, including Capt.'s, the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Marina, the Hawthorne Hotel, The Lyceum, and Victoria Station.  The menus are lavish and delicious, and seatings will sell out, so please make reservations.

If you will be celebrating on Sunday, I offer best wishes for a Happy Easter.  May you enjoy the day, celebrate family and friends, and, of course, eat lots of chocolate.