Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween's Not Over Yet!

Here's what's happening in Salem during the next 24 hours...

  • Celebrate Halloween at Crunchy Granola Baby, 3-5pm. 72 Washington Street.
  • Chilling Tales on the Friendship, 5-9pm.
  • 16th Annual Temple of Nine Wells Samhain Magick Circle, 5:30pm. Gallows Hill Park. tnw-salem.org.
  • Sixty2 on Wharf Halloween Cocktail Party, 7pm-midnight, 62 Wharf St.
  • Live Music Around Town - featuring Total Entertainment DJ on Derby Street, DJ Doug on Salem Common, Undercover Band on Front Street, Grateful Ted & Britannica on Hawthorne Blvd. 7-10pm
  • Legacy of the Hanging Judge & Spirits of the Gables at The House of the Seven Gables. 7:30pm-9:30pm.
  • Witches Commemorative Candlelight Samhain Walk, 7:30pm.
  • The Hawthorne Hotel's Car-Evil Creep Show Costume Ball, 8pm-midnight.
  • Salem's Witches present A Feast to the Spirits, 8pm-midnight. CrowHavenCorner.net
  • Eerie Evenings at the Witch House.
  • Halloween at Capt.'s Topsides, 8:30pm. Capts.com.
  • Halloween Finale, presented by VDA Productions at Washington & Federal Streets followed by fireworks over the North River. 10:30-11pm
It doesn't end on Friday night. If you couldn't make it here on Halloween, many of the street vendors will be here on Saturday, and there will be music at the Fountain Stage, as well as a number of events on Saturday night, including The Official Salem Witches' Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Visit HauntedHappenings.org for complete info.

Arts & Antiques Month... next week!


The Arts & Antiques Month brochure is available. You can pick it up in Salem at the visitor center (2 New Liberty Street), Peabody Essex Museum, Urban Elements, or the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

You can also request one be sent to you by emailing us at info@salem.org with your mailing address.

The schedule of events is online, too (of course!) at salem.org/art

I hope you can join us on November 23 for the Buried Treasure Appraisal Event at the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites!

Grogan & Company, your fine art auctioneer and appraiser, will be providing verbal appraisals of paintings, silver, estate jewelry, oriental rugs, and decorative arts (glass, china). Photos of large items may be brought, as well. Guests are asked to bring only one item. Items of particular interest may be evaluated publicly, and prizes will be awarded for the most interesting items of the day!

A sampling of Salem restaurants will be provided by Finz Seafood, 62 on Wharf, Capt.'s Waterfront Restaurant, Caffe Graziani, Coffee Time Bakery and others. You can even buy tickets online!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Public Safety on Halloween

NEW RULES FOR HALLOWEEN IN SALEM

City of Salem advises visitors to be safe, use common sense,
and be prepared to leave at the end of the evening

The City of Salem is encouraging participants in Salem’s Halloween night festivities to be safe and considerate during their celebration of all things haunted, spooky and bewitching.

Halloween night is filled with costume balls, festivals, dramatic presentations, ghost stories, walking tours, and parties. Visitors are advised to make reservations for tickets events early, as most will sell out.

The schedule of public events is as follows:

7:00-10:00 pm - Live music around town featuring the Undercover Band on Front Street and Grateful Ted on Hawthorne Boulevard;

10:30 pm - Halloween Finale presented by VDA Productions at Federal & Washington Streets, near the MBTA Commuter Rail station, followed by fireworks over the North River.

11:24 pm - Final train departs to North Station, Boston

11:26 pm - Final train departs to Newburyport

12:38 am - Final train departs to Rockport

The MBTA has added additional train service for Halloween night, and will be adding a temporary loading platform that will enable northbound and southbound trains to service Salem depot simultaneously. Visit MBTA.com for the complete expanded schedule of services for Haunted Happenings.

Those planning to celebrate Halloween in Salem are reminded of the following:

  • Omit any weapons – fake and real – from costumes, as they will be confiscated;
  • Public consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated;
  • Salem is a residential city – please be considerate of private property and downtown residents;
  • The finale at 10:30 PM is the conclusion of the public Halloween celebration . Please note that the streets will be closed after the fireworks and in conjunction with the final trains departing Salem . The Police and Public Works Departments will be clearing all streets and sidewalks so visitors should be prepared to depart Salem following the closing ceremony;
  • To make the most of the public Salem Halloween experience, people are encourage to arrive no later than 8:30 pm, and should plan to depart after the finale at 10: 50 pm.;
  • From October 29 – November 1 citations for illegal behavior – including public drinking, vandalism, and littering – will have tripled fines, up to $300, associated with them..

The Halloween holiday attracts tens of thousands of costumed revelers to Salem to visit attractions and partake in the Fall festivities. While the vast majority of visitors enjoy their time here without incident, there are some that take advantage of this public gathering and end up causing harm to the area, themselves or others. Please know that the City strongly discourages disorderly behavior (such as drinking in public, littering and random acts of vandalism) and will penalize offenders to the maximum amount allowed under the law both civilly and criminally. Please help us maintain a fun and safe downtown environment on Halloween evening!

For complete information on Salem Haunted Happenings and Halloween night, please visit Salem.com and HauntedHappenings.org.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Arts & Antiques Month


I sent out information about Arts & Antiques Month and The Buried Treasure Appraisal Event, which will happen on Sunday, November 23, last week, but I haven't put the ticket information on Salem.org yet!

Please bear with me while I catch up with myself! If you would like to purchase tickets online, you can do so here.

This week we will post a page on Salem.org that is dedicated to November's Arts & Antiques Month. In the meantime, the schedule of events is available, and you can request one by emailing your mailing address to info@salem.org.

I hope you can join us in November for the lectures, tours, exhibits, open studios, and appraisal events that are being planned. It will be another magical month in Salem!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Salem named on of the nation's 10 best neighborhoods!


This is very cool, and I've excerpted it directly from Mayor Kimberley Driscoll's FYI Salem.

The American Planning Association (APA) announced that Downtown Salem has been designated one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2008 through APA's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and communities of lasting value. APA singled out Downtown Salem for its historical character; redevelopment as a compact neighborhood with residential, retail, and commercial uses; and for helping boost Salem’s local economy.
To celebrate, the City hosted a neighborhood block party celebration for downtown residents, work-ers and visitors to attend on Wednesday, October 8th at Noon at Derby Square in front of Old Town Hall. Mayor Kimberley Driscoll along with U.S. Senator John Kerry, U.S. Representative John Tierney, State Representative John Keenan, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Daniel O’Connell, and other City Officials were on hand to participate as we celebrated this very special announcement in down-town Salem!
The City of Salem is extremely excited and honored by this designation. Over the last few years, the downtown has been transformed with a lively mix of retail and residential uses, beautiful architecture, a rich and intriguing history and a pedestrian friendly environment. These attributes have come together to make Salem’s downtown an active and vibrant place for residents and visitors to live, work and shop. This award is a wonderful recognition of all that Salem has to offer.
APA’s designation would not have been possible without the involvement of Salem’s strong leaders – past and present. Beginning in the 1970s when urban renewal threatened demolition of historic downtown architecture, local leaders shifted redevelopment policies to address preservation concerns. By 1996, the city had updated its master plan, refocusing its mission on improving the business climate, capitalizing on maritime and cultural heritage, and redeveloping vacant building sites and the neglected waterfront. Today three separate plans address specific neighborhood goals to make the downtown business district a premier retail destination; transform vacant waterfront land into a neighborhood park; and construct a wharf and harbor walk.
Salem’s downtown neighborhood is roughly a half-mile square and orbits around the Salem Common, the cobbled Essex Street pedestrian mall, and a cross-hatch of commercial streets lined with two-to-six story buildings, generous sidewalks, and trees. Juxtaposed against these period buildings, is the contemporary addition to the Peabody Essex Museum -- the nation’s oldest continuously operating museum. The ad-joining residential streets contain mostly freestanding, single-family homes with close-by churches and pocket green spaces. The neighbor-hood boasts dozens of retail stores, more than 50 restaurants, and 400 newly built residences.
The nine other APA 2008 Great Neighborhoods are: Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA; Greater Park Hill, Denver, CO; North End, Boise, ID; Old Town Wichita, Wichita, KS; Charles Village, Baltimore, MD; Greater University Hill, Syracuse, NY; Village of Mariemont, Mariemont, OH; Society Hill, Philadelphia, PA; and Downtown Sheridan, Sheridan, WY.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Salem on TV Diner with Billy Costa

I told you I would let you all know when TV Diner's big Salem festival aired, and it has aired! It ran on Saturday, October 18 on NECN. It has been running since, though. Last night at 7:30 I caught the first half. I think the second half may run tonight at 7:30, for those of you in the NECN listening region.

Mayor Driscoll was on with Billy Costa, I was interviewed, Finz, Capt.'s, Upper Crust Pizza, The Regatta at the Salem Waterfront Hotel were all featured - among other restaurants. There was also great footage of Salem.

The festival was a lot of fun. Check out the video clips on the TV Diner web site.

These pictures from the festival feature Billy Costa with Mayor Driscoll (top) and with Mike and Rick Rockett, who own the Salem Waterfront Hotel.

Many thanks to TV Diner for putting on such a great show, and thanks to the Salem Waterfront Hotel for pulling the festival together. It was a great day under the tent!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

There are rooms to be had in Rockport!


If you're coming for Salem Haunted Happenings and haven't booked your accommodations reservations yet, well, shame on you! There is hope, though!
The HauntedHappenings.org site has listings for current availability at regional accommodations (Salem inns are booked solid - make your reservations for 2009 in November!), and the Inns of Rockport have just sent me their availability.
Rockport is a 30 minute train ride north of Salem, which makes it very easy and accessible. Check the Rockport Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail for the schedule.

TUCK INN B&B
17 High St., Rockport
Bed and Breakfast
MIDWEEK: YES
WEEKENDS: YES
BLACKOUT: NONE
978-546-7260 / 800-789-7260

THE INNS OF ROCKPORT
25 Various locations throughout the town.
Inns, B&Bs, Motels, and Hotels
MIDWEEK: YES
WEEKENDS: YES
BLACKOUT: NONE
Various phones as noted on the website below