Restaurant Week Next Week!

With all due respect to today being HALLOWEEN, the finale of our month-long Haunted Happenings celebration (visit HauntedHappenings.org for info, please), we are really excited about Fall Restaurant Week, which starts on Sunday, November 6.

Evidence that there is always something going on in Salem, Massachusetts.

Restaurant Week is produced twice a year - November and April - by the Salem Chamber of Commerce. 

Spring Restaurant week expands to ten days!

Salem Spring Restaurant Week will kick off on Sunday, April 3, featuring the best local cuisine at value pricing.  For 10 days only, participating Salem area restaurants will offer either a two-course prix-fix dinner menu for $15, or a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $25, or both (note that this price does not include drinks, taxes or gratuities).

Salem has become a culinary destination and people really look forward to this event. Expect a wide variety of delicious foods - from steak to seafood, American to ethnic, there is something for everyone. 
 
Restaurants offer multiple choices for appetizers, entrees as well as deserts.  Reservations are encouraged, please contact the restaurants directly. Mention "Restaurant Week" when making your reservations. 

Visit Salem-Chamber.org to see the list of more than twenty participating restaurants, which includes  (to name a few!):

• 62 Restaurant and Wine Bar
• Adriatic Restaurant and Bar
• Bella Verona
• Capt's Waterfront Grill & Pub
• Cilantro
• Finz
• Green Land Cafe
• The Lobster Shanty
• The Lyceum
• Nathaniel's at the Hawthorne Hotel
• Regatta Pub at the Waterfront Hotel 
• Rockafellas
• Seaport Cafe
• Thai Place
• Victoria Station

Restaurant week is produced by the Salem Chamber of Commerce, and we appreciate it! 

Mark your calendar for Salem's So Sweet!

Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival features 18 ice sculptures!

Organizers Salem Main Streets, the Salem Chamber of Commerce, and local retailers, restaurants and businesses invite you to attend the 9^th annual Salem’s So Sweet, Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, held on Saturday, February 5^th & Sunday, 6^th.  Over 35 downtown businesses will offer discounts and free chocolate during the weekend.  The festival officially kicks off with a scrumptious Chocolate and Wine Tasting event in Hamilton Hall February 4 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Don't miss Salem's sweetest event of the year, a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures and Valentine’s Day shopping! 18 sparkling ice sculptures will grace downtown Salem and Pickering Wharf starting February 5 as part of the 9^th annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival.   Sculpture Themes will range from the Rapunzel, the Salem Witch, a Mermaid, a Fish, a Dragon and Champagne Glasses, and the Museum Place Mall is dedicating their Ice Sculpture to the memory of Pep Cornacchio (featuring a football).  Maps showing the locations of the ice sculptures can be picked up at participating retailers and restaurants.

For the first time this year, Salem Trolley will be offering free trolley rides around the festival route weather permitting on February 5 & 6 from 12 – 4. Pick up locations include the Salem Visitor Center, Pickering Wharf and Washington Street (near Eastern Bank).

The festival kicks off with a Chocolate and Wine Tasting, on Friday, February 4 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at Hamilton Hall, 9 Chestnut Street.  This luscious tasting event features wine and chocolate samplings from restaurants, stores and sweet shops. The Chocolate and Wine Tasting is sponsored by the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites.  Participants include 62 Restaurant & Winebar, Adriatic Restaurant & Bar, Busa Wine & Spirits, Café Polonia, Café Valverde, Caffe Graziani, Capt.'s Waterfront Grill & Pub, Captain Dusty's Ice Cream, Coffee Time Bakeshop, Coven Artisanal Market, Finz Seafood & Grill, GreenLand Café, Gulu-Gulu Café, Maria's Sweet Somethings, Milk & Honey Green Grocer, Pamplemousse, Rockafellas, Salem Waterfront Hotel, Salem Wine Imports, Victoria Station, and Ye Olde Pepper Co.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance at the Salem Chamber of Commerce, 265 Essex Street.  

In celebration of the chocolate weekend, many of Salem’s finest restaurants will feature special chocolate offerings on their menus, including desserts, cocktails, and inventive sauces.  Participating Salem retailers will offer in-store promotions, innovative displays and items geared toward chocolate and Valentine’s Day.  Once again, Golden Tickets will be available in downtown Salem.  Pick up your Golden Ticket and have it validated at participating businesses (no purchase necessary) then enter to win a Salem's So Sweet gift basket.  The Salem's So Sweet gift basket features many fine items from area retailers.

For more information please contact Salem Main Streets / Salem Chamber of Commerce at T. 978-744-0004 or visit www.salem-chamber.org

3rd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair this Saturday

The 3rd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair, organized by The Salem Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Salem Renewable Energy Task Force, will take place Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair will feature 40 + exhibitor booths, a screening of “FRESH the movie”, a Green Kids Zone, bike workshops and information on green transportation, collection of unwanted books and a Green Speaker Series. The fair has something to offer the entire family, don’t miss this FREE event!

Schedule of Events:

Vendor Booths & Exhibits
Location: Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Free Screening of the "FRESH” the movie
Location: Cinema Salem, Museum Place Mall
Time: 10:00 AM (70 min.)

Green Kids Zone presented by Crunchy Granola Baby
Location: Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, 2nd Floor
Time: 10am - 3pm

Bike Workshops & Green Transportation
Location: Outside Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square
Time: 10am - 3pm

Got Books - Unwanted Book Collection Truck
Location: Outside Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square
Time: 10am - 3pm

Green Speaker Series
Location: The Gathering, 217 Essex Street (on the Pedestrian Mall)
Times: 11:15am; 12:30pm, 1:45pm (each session will be approximately 60 minutes)

The fair is made possible with the help of a number of local and regional green businesses. Title Sponsor of this year's fair is Atlas Glen-mor, offering customers a full array of innovative services, energy-efficient equipment, competitive financing options and service agreements. Presenting Sponsors are National Grid and Salem State College. Event Sponsors include Achieve Renewable Energy, LLC, Rescom Exteriors, Whole Foods and Zipcar.

For more information on the 3rd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair, visit Salem-Chamber.org.

Haunted Happenings is nearly here!

It all starts on Thursday! October 1st is the kick-off of the 28th annual Salem Haunted Happenings Festival. Are you ready? Can you feel it?

I can!

The corn stalks are up around town. The Haunted Happenings street banners are going up. The porta-potties are on their way. Halloween is, indeed, upon us.

I invite you to keep tabs on Salem.org's sister site, HauntedHappenings.org. We will be posting Haunted Happenings information, stories, and photos on that site throughout the month of August. Some details will certainly leak over to Salem.org, but the most comprehensive information is on HauntedHappenings.org.

You can also be a fan and a follower of Haunted Happenings on Twitter and Facebook!

The month begins with the SALEM HAUNTED HAPPENINGS GRAND PARADE, presented by the Salem Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday, October 1st. The parade will step off from Shetland Properties at 6:30 PM, and it will then wind its way from Congress Street to Derby to Lafayette to Front to Washington to Essex to Hawthorne Boulevard and into the Common. (See map at right).

Thousands of Salem's kids - from preschool to college - will march in the parade, all dressed to fit the theme Night at the Museum.

Click here for street closure and parking ban information.

Click here for a parking map of downtown Salem.



For the complete calendar of events in October, visit HauntedHappenings.org or email us at info@hauntedhappenings.org and we would be happy to send you a printed brochure. The brochures are also available at the regional Simon malls, including North Shore Mall (Peabody), Liberty Tree Mall (Danvers), Square One Mall (Saugus), and Burlington Mall.



Happy Haunted Happenings, everyone! I hope you can join us for this festive month of fall, New England, and quintessential Salem.

It's Fall Restaurant Week in Salem!

Salem's Restaurant Weeks - presented by the Salem Chamber of Commerce - is a great opportunity to get out and eat - especially if you're like me and have Champagne taste and a family-to-feed budget.

Fall restaurant week began on Sunday and runs through Thursday, September 17th. The participating restaurants are offering three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for $25 (which does not include drinks, taxes, or gratuities).

Whether you choose a restaurant on Washington Street, which has become known as "Eat Street" in Salem, or Pickering Wharf, or anywhere in between you will find great dining options at the participating restaurants.

Perhaps this is the opportunity for you to try something new (Have you always wanted to have dinner at Nathaniel's in the Hawthorne Hotel? They serve award-winning cuisine, but you forget about it because it's within the hotel?), or the motivation to return to a favorite spot (Finz, Victoria Station, Capt.'s, perhaps?). Three courses for $25 is a great deal, and a great reason to get out of your own kitchen for a night this week.

Your cravings for steak, lobster, curry, and pasta can all be satisfied this week in Salem. The biggest problem this week will be deciding where to eat!

One note from the Chamber of Commerce: Restaurants will offer multiple choices for appetizers, entrees and deserts. Reservations are encouraged, and you should contact the restaurants directly to save your restaurant week table. Remember to mMention "Restaurant Week" when making your reservations.

Current List of Participating Restaurants (As of September 1st)

Black Lobster at Stromberg's Cove
2 Bridge Street, Salem, MA
978-744-1863

Capt's Waterfront Grill & Club
94 Wharf Street, Salem, MA
978-741-0555

Cilantro
282 Derby Street, Salem, MA
978-745-9436

Finz Seafood Restaurant
76 Wharf Street, Salem, MA
978-744-0000

Grapevine Restaurant
26 Congress Street, Salem, MA
978-745-9335

The Lobster Shanty
25 Front Street, Salem, MA
978-745-5449

Nathaniel's at the Hawthorne Hotel
18 Washington Square West, Salem, MA
978-825-4311

Passage to India
157 Washington Street, Salem, MA
978-832-2200

Regatta Pub at the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites 225 Derby Street, Salem, MA
978-740-8788

Rockafellas
231 Essex Street, Salem, MA
978-745-2411

Sixty2 on Wharf
62 Wharf Street, Salem, MA
978-744-0062

Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel
18 Washington Square West, Salem, MA
978-825-4342

Tavern in the Square
189 Washington Street, Salem, MA
978-740-2337

Thai Place
Museum Place Mall, Salem, MA
978-741-8008

Victoria Station
86 Wharf Street, Salem, MA
978-745-3400

Make your destination Salem Restaurant Week... and you will discover the magic of a satisfied appetite!

Salem Lifestyle Open House this Sunday

Come Check Out the hip, urban lifestyle in downtown Salem, Massachusetts!

This weekend the Salem Chamber of Commerce is organizing the first (annual, I hope!) Lifestyle Open House. This means that on Sunday, June 14 from noon - 3pm you can tap into your inner house-hunter and come to Salem for some good, old-fashioned house hunting. And condo hunting. And apartment hunting.

Discover the diversity of properties within walking distance of downtown Salem - from Federal style mansions to Victorian homes to contemporary condos in new developments to redeveloped historic buildings. Wherever you step in downtown Salem, you are a short walk from the MBTA Commuter Rail (Newburyport/Rockport Line to Boston), the Salem Ferry (stopping at the Seaport District AND Long Wharf North), Salem arts and culture, museums, restaurants, nightlife, beaches, bike paths, parks, and more!

It's an awesome urban environment, and you should check it out!

Grab a map of the open house locations online at Salem-Chamber.org or at the Chamber office at 265 Essex Street. (For more information, call 978-744-0004.) More then 30 downtown properties will be open!

Plan to stay for lunch and dinner, catch the new Golden Age of Dutch Seascapes exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, browse and shop on Pickering Wharf, Essex Street, Front Street, Derby Street; visit The House of the Seven Gables, Salem Willows, historic Chestnut Street. It won't take very long for you to understand why the American Planning Association ranked downtown Salem, Massachusetts one of America’s 10 great neighborhoods! Visit Salem.org for shopping, dining, and exploration ideas.

Discover the magic of living in Salem!

Don't forget the Living Green Fair is this weekend!

Here's a non-traditional way to spend your visit to Salem this weekend! Check out the 2nd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair!

The Fair will be held on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 from 10 am to 3 pm at Salem's historic Old Town Hall. Over 40 vendors will be showcasing their "green" products and services. This year's speaker series includes Green Materials in Historic Renovations, Be Green by Eating Green, and Solar Energy Incentives.

The City of Salem has proclaimed June 13th, 2009 as Clean Energy Day. Like last year, there will be a free screening of a film at CinemaSalem to kickoff the event. This year's film is Addicted to Plastic and will begin at 10am. Also, there will be a children's play area, Kids Green Scene, hosted by Crunchy Granola Baby.

For further information about the Fair, including a complete list of vendors and detailed information about the speaker series and film, visit the following link: http://www.salem-chamber.org/livinggreenfair34.html

Learn how to Spin your Electric Meter Backwards

Learn how to Spin your Electric Meter Backwards

at Salem’s 2nd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair

Saturday, June 13 - 10am-3pm

Commonwealth Solar rebates along with State and Federal tax credits are providing Massachusetts residents and business owners the opportunity to spin their electric meters backwards. Learn how to get off the grid and much more at the 2nd Annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair. The fair will take place on Saturday, June 13th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in and around Old Town Hall in Salem.

The fair will include numerous exhibits from local, regional and national companies, a Kids “Green Scene”, a Green Speaker Series and a free screening of “Addicted to Plastic” at CinemaSalem. The fair will feature everything from cars that run on waste vegetable oil to free one-on-one consultations on how to green your home.

In recognition of the fair, the City of Salem will celebrate June 13th as Clean Energy Day, and all Salem citizens are encouraged to sign up for Clean Energy Choice, a Massachusetts Technology Collaborative program (MTC). For more information on this program, bring your National Grid electric bill to the Renewable Energy Taskforce exhibit at the fair.

The fair is sponsored by Sunlight Solar Energy and Salem State College. The organizers of the fair are the Salem Chamber of Commerce, Salem Main Streets and the City of Salem Renewable Energy Taskforce. For the entire schedule of events please visit http://www.salem-chamber.org/. For more information contact the Salem Chamber at 978-744-0004.

Schedule of Events
10 a.m. – 3 pm

Vendor Booths & Exhibits in Old Town Hall Kids “Green Scene” in Old Town Hall

10 a.m.
Screening of Addicted to Plastic in CinemaSalem (55 mins)

11 a.m.
Clean Energy Day Proclamation by Mayor Driscoll at The Gathering

11:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Presentation: Green Materials in Historic Renovations – by The Green Roundtable

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Presentation: Be Green by Eating Green – by Revitalive

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Presentation: Solar Energy Incentives – by Sunlight Solar Energy