Check out the Witches Cup Bike Race on Wednesday

 

The 2011 Witches Cup Criterium bike race will take to Salem Common on Wednesday, August 10th.  This professional bike race will send cyclists around the Common at 25-35 mph, reaching speeds of up to 45 mph during sprints.  Spectators are invited to watch the action during the 35-mile race (70 laps!) around the Common.

Crowds are able to watch from inside the Common, the Wachusett Brewing Company hospitality tent, or from points behind the safety barricades across the street from the Common. 

For complete information on the race, visit WitchesCup.com. 

2011 Witches Cup Schedule

• 4:00pm - Course Inspection

• 4:45pm - Amateur Men (Cat 4/5)

• 5:35pm - Women (Cat 1-4)

• 6:10pm - Amateur Men Awards

• 6:30pm - Elite Men (P,1,2,3)

• 7:45pm - Awards Ceremony: Women & Elite Men

Reserve today for A Pint of the Past: Ancient & Hisoric Beer at PEM

A PINT OF THE PAST: ANCIENT AND HISTORIC BEER

AUGUST 11 | 7:30 - 9:30 PM | MEMBERS $55 | NON-MEMBERS $65

Back by popular demand, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is hosting its third beer tasting event, A Pint of the Past: Ancient and Historic Beer, on Thursday, August 11 at 7:30 p.m. Join PEM curator George Schwartz and Harpoon Brewery’s Nate Heck for this convivial occasion. Explore the world of ancient and historic beers and learn how they relate to PEM's unique art collection.

Sample seven distinctive beers, each with delicious food pairings. For a special treat, PEM has paired up with Salem Beer Works to create a specially brewed ale for the occasion. The East India Marine Society IPA is a dark, malty beer with a pleasant bitterness and earthy hop flavor. Enjoy this custom-made IPA at PEM’s A Pint of the Past tasting event or at Salem Beer Works during the month of August.

‘A Pint of the Past’ Featured Beers:

Midas Touch (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE) 9.0% ABV

                A traditional spiced beer with hints of honey, saffron, papaya and melon

East India Marine Society IPA (Salem Beer Works, MA) 6.0% ABV

                A smooth and sweet IPA, bold in flavor

Anchor Small Beer (Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, CA) 3.3% ABV

                A light and flavorful English bitter beer

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale (Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan) 7.0% ABV

                A Belgian strong pale ale with a mix of sake-like flavors, malt and bitter notes

Yorkshire Stingo (Samuel Smith Brewery, Yorkshire, England) 8.0% ABV

                An English strong ale with intense flavors of toffee, raisin, dried fruit and caramel

Hofbräu Dunkel (Hofbräuhaus, Bavaria) 5.5% ABV

                A Munich Dunkel lager with subtle spicy and rich flavors

Rochefort 6 (Brasserie de Rochefort., Belgium) 7.5% ABV

                A slightly spicy Belgian strong dark ale with a rich taste of caramel, fruit and raisins

Reservations by August 8th by calling 978-745-9500 ext. 3011 or by visiting pem.org/calendar

Caffe Graziani: 20 Years and Still Cooking!!

We are sending up big, heart-felt congratulations to Caffe Graziani, who is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in Salem!

Join the celebration on Saturday, August 13 from 2:30 - 4:30 at a traditional "Festa Italiana" at the restaurant, 133 Washington Street. The Festa will feature Italian music with Enzo Amara, snacks & a spaghetti eating contest.

Congratulazioni a Paula e Giovani!

Get out that seersucker!

If you're like me, that might mean dig in the box in the back of the attic for the seersucker.  You know it's back there, though, and this Urbane Cyclist event is calling its name. 

The Urbane Cyclist of downtown Salem is hosting its second annual genteel ride around historic Salem.  This lycra and spandex-free event is absolutely free, and for cyclists of all abilities.  Historically sporty dress is encouraged, but not required.  The best dressed male and female riders are eligible to win gift certificates! 

The ride is approximately 7 miles long, and departs Urbane Cyclist, 144 Washington Street, at 11:00 AM on Sunday, August 14th. 

Enjoy lemonade and cookies after the ride.

You can let them know you're coming, and get more information on Facebook.  The Urbane Cyclist, if you didn't know, won Readers Choice in North Shore Magazine's Best of the North Shore.   We're so proud.

Free Family Fun

The Salem Maritime Festival is all about Ships, Sawdust, Sailors, and Song, but, being a mother, I like to headline the fact that it's free family fun!  And the fun is educational, and the education is fun, so it's a painless way to spend a beautiful Saturday - and Friday night - with your family on Derby Wharf.

It all starts tonight with a free concert by Coyote Run, an awesome Celtic Rock band, so bring a blanket, a picnic (or at least an ice cream cone) down to Derby Wharf to listen and dance. 6:30 - 9:00 PM. 

Here's what we have to look forward to on Saturday: 

EVENTS

• Free Harbor Cruise Ticket Drawings: 9am(Central Wharf Ticket Booth)
• Free Harbor Cruises: 10am - 1pm
• Seaside Kite-flying: 10am - 4pm
• NE Aquarium Tide Pool Exhibit: 11am - 2pm
• Face Painting: 12noon - 3pm
• Muck Walk, Life at Low Tide: 12noon, 2pm
• Hayrides around Historic Salem: 1 - 4pm
• The Rebel Shakespeare Company: 1pm, 3pm
• The Weebluets, Scottish Dancers: 2pm 

All DAY 

Live Music (Schedule)

Friendship of Salem Tours & Demonstrations
USS Constitution Master Gun Drills
USCG 47' Motor Life Boat Tours
Canoe and Kayak Rides
Hands-on! Jolly Boat Sea Adventures
Traditional Craft Demonstrations
Special Children's Jr. Ranger Program
Boat building, Kite-flying and a Muck Walk!
Roving Storytellers

Experience the Salem waterfront as it was in its early seaport heyday!

Shooting Star at STC

For the next two weeks, we have the perfect answer to the question, "What should we do after dinner?"  We are lucky in Salem to have excellent local theater, and for the next two weeks our Salem Theatre Company is raising the curtain on the romantic comedy Shooting Star. 

Here's STC's information on Shooting Star:

The Salem Theatre Company will produce Steven Dietz’s romantic comedy Shooting Star, as part of their Music & More Series for eight performances only from August 3 to Sunday August 14. The production is directed by STC Artistic Director, John Fogle. The two person play features Sarah Carlin of Beverly and Dave Rich of Marblehead. Salem’s Emma Cavaliere will serve as production Stage Manager.

Snowed in overnight at a middle-America airport, college lovers Elena Carson and Reed McAllister have an unexpected and life-altering reunion. Elena has stayed true to her hippie-ish, counter-culture path, while Reed has gone predictably corporate and conservative. As the night gives way to laughter, banter, remembrance and alcohol, Elena and Reed revisit a past that holds more surprises than they imagined—and a present that neither of them could have predicted.

The production runs from August 3 to Sunday August 14 at the STC Theater, 90 Lafayette Street in Salem. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available online now at www.salemtheatre.com or can be reserved for pick up at the box office by calling 978-790-8546, or emailing info@salemtheatre.com. Online ticketing ends 24 hours in advance of each performance.

iGetNewEngland Visits the House of the Seven Gables

iGetNewEngland has visited Salem several times.  Here is their very nice video portrait of The House of the Seven Gables.
 





If the video is not showing in the message, you can view it on YouTube.