September 2014 – Salem Happenings

The Season of the Witch

This coming Thursday marks the official opening of the Halloween season in Salem, which means that you will be able to have a “frighteningly” good time in the very near future. In fact, there’s no shortage of spooky events scheduled for the next month in the Witch City, and the fun will continue right through All Hallows Eve. However, just because the festivities don’t officially start until Thursday doesn’t mean that you have to wait for the fun to begin. There are already a number of Halloween events scheduled in the Salem area and beyond this weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to start off the season a little early, you’ve come to the right place.

First, if you’ve always been a fan of creepy artwork, there’s no better place to be than the Terror Fantasies Art Show. The Terror Fantasies Art Show, which is held at the Museum Place Mall in Salem from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until October 10th, features a wide range of horror and fantasy artwork. This means that you can expect to see black cats, jack-o-lanterns, vampires, zombies, witches, and just about every other creepy thing that has ever been associated with the season. For more information on the Terror Fantasies Art Show, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website.

Secondly, if you’re not a huge fan of art but you’ve always had a special place in your heart (still-beating or otherwise) for zombies, prepare yourself for the Boston Zombie Apocalypse. The Boston Zombie Apocalypse is an interactive live action game in which you play a survivor attempting to escape the Boston area after it has been overrun by zombies. This game, which is held at Stronghold Airsoft in Abington, MA, will allow you to use a special airsoft shotgun to defend yourself against the every-growing army of the undead. However, you won’t be alone, as a military escort will attempt to guide you to safety through the 25,000 square-foot facility designed to mimic a city complete with cars, buildings, and, of course, zombies trying to eat you. For more information on the event and/or to order tickets, please visit the Boston Zombie Apocalypse website.

Finally, if you’re looking for something that you can do with the kids and you don’t mind waiting until Thursday, you may want to head down to Salem for the Haunted Happenings Grand Parade. The Haunted Happenings Grand Parade marks the official opening of the Halloween season in Salem with bands, school groups, trolleys, real witches, and occasionally some special appearances by celebrities and interesting vehicles like the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. This year’s parade will have a fantasy theme, so you should expect to see kids and adults from all over the area dressed as characters from Avatar, The Chronicles of Narnia, Frozen, Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and a whole lot more. For more information on the parade, which will run from approximately 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Thursday, October 2, 2014, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website or the Salem Chamber of Commerce website.

Photo credit: Bob Linsdell / Foter / CC BY

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Arr ye mateys! Today be the day that some love, but others only dread — International Talk Like A Pirate Day! What be this strange occasion ye might ask? Well, it be a time for all among us to explore our inner pirate by speaking or even dressing as those scurvy dogs of old. In fact, there be a number of merchants devoted to the cause of celebrating the day, and there are those who will even offer you some booty for showing your devotion to the Golden Age of Piracy. As a result, if ye be a fine lad or lass that is seeking to find your inner swashbuckler, ye need no map. The answers ye seek lie here.

However, in the interest of those who are not as fascinated by the pirate tongue, the rest of this post will appear in the vernacular (or, in other words, non-piratey speak.)

First, if you’re a pirate in need of a ship, you may want to head to Boston Harbor. This is because the Adirondack III, a schooner that was built with an 1890’s design in mind, is currently docked there. This ship regularly offers a day-time, sunset, and nighttime sightseeing tour of Boston Harbor that will allow you and all of your pirate friends to enjoy approximately two hours of sailing aboard a beautiful 80-foot sailing vessel (for a fee of course.) If, on the other hand, the fee is a little too much for you or you tend to get a little seasick, you can always head to Salem and see the Friendship at Derby Wharf without your feet ever leaving solid ground. For more information on the Adirondack III, please visit the Classic Harbor Line’s Adirondack III page and for more information on the Friendship, please visit the National Park Service’s Friendship of Salem page.

Secondly, if you or your kids are looking for a place to learn more about the Golden Age of Piracy, Gore Place in Waltham, MA may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because Gore Place is hosting two Talk Like A Pirate Day Tours tonight (Friday, September 19, 2014) at 7:00 and 8:30 P.M. These tours will give you a chance to hear stories of real pirates, partake in pirate trivia, and more while you see all of the splendor of the Gore Mansion. For more information on the event and to order tickets, which are selling out fast, please visit the Brown Paper Tickets website.

Finally, if you’re really just looking for a way to show off your general pirateyness and/or find out about all of the cool pirate stuff that you can get or do today, you may want to check out some of these places:

1. The International Talk Like A Pirate Day website is filled with pirate advice (use at your own risk), pirate games, places to post your pirate pictures, pirate songs, pirate swag, and more pirate stuff than you can shake a peg leg at.

2. Krispy Kreme is not only putting up pictures of some of their best-dressed pirate customers from last year, but also offering a special pirate doughnut that is only available today. Best of all, if you talk like a pirate while you place your order, Krispy Kreme will give you one free glazed doughnut and, if you place your order dressed as a pirate with three non-weapon accessories, they will give you a dozen glazed donuts for free.

3. Facebook and Google actually have a feature that will translate some of their menus into pirate speak. All you have to do is go into the language settings and choose “pirate.”

4. R&R Games is hosting a giveaway today where one lucky winner will receive a free copy of their pirate-themed board game, Plunder.

5. 3D Printworks is offering stl files for anyone that has access to a 3D printer. These files will allow you to print your own pirate eye patch (complete with skull and crossbones) or your own pirate hook.

Photo credit: birdorable / Foter / CC BY-SA

Back-to-School Events and After-School Programs

Now that’s it been a couple of weeks since all of kids have gone back to school, you may be looking for something to entertain your kids or, at the very least, keep them out of trouble for a little while once the school day is over. Fortunately, there are a number of one-time events and ongoing programs that are sure to keep your kids busy this weekend and possibly beyond. In fact, there are a couple of programs this weekend that are specifically designed to help students unwind, explore new things, and ring in the new school year. As a result, if you’re looking for something for your children to do this weekend or looking for something to keep your kids busy all year long, there’s certainly no shortage of things to choose from.

First, if you and/or your kids are big fans of gaming, you may want to check out the Boston Festival of Indie Games. The Boston Festival of Indie Games, which is held at MIT’s Johnson Athletic Center in Cambridge, is a nonprofit festival that features a variety of tabletop games and video games from independent developers. This festival will allow you to see over 50 new video games, over 40 new tabletop games, attend a variety of panels on game design, learn about game design in a classroom setting, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Boston Festival of Indie Games and/or to register for the event, which is scheduled to take place from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 13, 2014), please visit the Boston Festival of Indie Games website.

Secondly, if you’re a college student looking for a way to meet new people and/or you’ve always loved a good party, CollegeFest may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because CollegeFest, which is being held tomorrow (Saturday 13, 2014) from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Fenway Park, is one of the largest back-to-school events in New England. This festival/party will give you the opportunity to meet thousands of college students while you listen to music from a variety of great bands and get free stuff from just about every business under the sun. For more information on CollegeFest, which is completely free to attend this year, please visit the CollegeFest website.

Finally, if you’re looking for an ongoing program to keep your kids busy all year long, here are some of the major programs that are available just about everywhere:

1. The Girl Scouts of America is a nonprofit organization that has been teaching girls ages 5 and up a variety of life skills since 1912. The average Girl Scout meeting (and there is typically nothing average about these meetings) will include activities that explore topics such as animals, arts and crafts, business, computers, cooking, community service, dancing, first aid, health, manners, music, nature, science, storytelling, and a whole lot more. Girl Scouts also offers each girl the opportunity to engage in a number of local, state, and national events that include camps, camping trips, hiking trips, ice cream socials, sleepovers at museums, and more events than I could ever hope to list here. For more information on the Girl Scouts of America, to find a troop near you, and/or to find the information that you need to start a troop of your own, please visit the Official Girl Scouts of America website.

2. The Boy Scouts of America is a nonprofit organization that has been teaching boys ages 7 and up a variety of life skills since 1910. The average Boy Scout meeting will include activities that explore topics such as arts and crafts, cars, camping skills, community service, communications, engineering, first aid, metalworking, music, nature, physical skills, science, woodworking, and a whole lot more. Boy Scouts also offers each boy the opportunity to engage in a number of local, state, and national events that include camps, camping trips, hiking trips, pinewood derbies, rainwater regattas (think pinewood derby with sailboats), and too many other events to list here. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, to find a troop near you, and/or to find the information that you need to volunteer, please visit the Official Boy Scouts of America website.

3. The YMCA, or Y for even shorter, is a nonprofit organization that has provided youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility programs for people of all ages since 1844. The programs offered by the Y can vary widely from area to area, but most Y’s offer academic enrichment programs, child care, early learning programs, family activities, leadership programs, swimming, sports, and a whole lot more. The Y also has camps with specialty programs and a number of advocacy, community service, and social service programs. For more information on the YMCA and/or to find a Y near you, please visit the YMCA website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

A Festival Weekend

The kids may be back in school and the warm weather may be about to disappear (at least a night) but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fun has to end. In fact, now that the kids are back in school, there are a lot of people that are trying to take advantage of the nicer weather while they still can. As a result, this weekend has become sort of a festival weekend with everything from animals to music in the spotlight. And, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy the warm weather before the fall arrives, there’s no better way than to check out some of these festivals:

Animals

1. If you’re a dog fan, you may want to check out Pooch A Palooza. Pooch A Palooza is a dog festival that is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 6, 2014) and 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Sunday (September 7, 2014) at the Topsfield Fairgrounds in Topsfield, MA. This festival features dog contests, dog play areas, dog tricks, food, games, kid’s activities and crafts, music, vendors, and more. For more information on the festival, which is of course dog friendly, please visit the Pooch A Palooza website.

2. If you’re more of a cat fan than a dog fan, you may want to check out the Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival. The Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival is a cat festival that runs from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 6, 2014) at the Ellen M. Gifford Cat Shelter in Brighton, MA. This festival features an “Ask the Vet” session, cat crafts for sale, face painting, food, games, an opportunity to meet some of the shelter cats, and more. Best of all the festival is completely free to attend, and any money that you spend on cat crafts or other items at the festival will go to the cats. For more information on the Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival, please visit the Gifford Cat Shelter’s event page.

Cultural

1. If you love big colorful parades like the ones you might see during Carnival, the Cambridge Carnival International may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because the Cambridge Carnival International is a parade and street festival that is designed to give you the experience of what Carnival would be like in the Caribbean or Africa without leaving the country. The parade, which starts near the Charles River at River Street and Blackstone Street in Cambridge, MA at 12:30 P.M. on Sunday (September 7, 2014) and ends near MIT, features a number of musicians, dancers, and masqueraders covered in beads, feathers, plumes, jewels, and everything else that you would expect from Carnival. The street festival, which is located in Kendall Square near MIT, will feature arts and crafts, balloon art, DJ’s, face painting, food (including African, Caribbean, Haitian, Indian, Jamaican, and traditional American cuisines), music, and more. For more information on the Cambridge Carnival International, which includes a number of free events, please visit the Cambridge Carnival International website.

Music

1. If you’re a big fan of local bands that have musicians that are actually from the area and not musicians that have been trucked in from somewhere else , the JP Music Festival may be the festival for you. This is because the JP Music Festival requires each of the bands in it to have at least one member that currently lives or works in the Jamaica Plain area. This means that you can expect to hear Bed of Coals, Bowleg Bradford, Cask Mouse, Morris and the East Coast, and a whole bunch of other bands you’ve probably never heard of but will still rock your socks off. For more information on the JP Music Festival, which runs from 12:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. tomorrow at Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain, please visit the JP Music Festival website.

2. If you’re a big fan of local bands, but they don’t have to be that local or that sane, the New England Underground Music Festival may be more to your taste. This is because the New England Underground Music Festival, which runs from 6:00 P.M. today (September 5, 2014) to 12:30 A.M. on Sunday (September 7, 2014) at Cuisine en Locale in Somerville, MA, prides itself on finding and featuring the strangest collection of, as they put it, “weird, insane, beautiful” bands from the New England area. For more information on the New England Underground Festival, please visit the New England Underground Music Festival website.

3. If you’d rather hear someone you’ve actually heard of or at least someone who’s likely to be the next big thing, Boston Calling may be more what you’re looking for. This is because Boston Calling is a large music Festival at the City Hall Plaza in Boston, MA that runs from today (September 5, 2014) at 6:00 P.M. to Sunday (September 7, 2014) at 11:00 P.M that features some well-known bands and some up-and-coming bands that have opened for well-known acts like Fallout Boy. For more information on Boston Calling and/or to order tickets, please visit the Boston Calling Music Festival website.

4. Finally, for those of you out there who love music, but really wouldn’t consider most of the stuff at these other festivals as music, there is always the 35th Annual Banjo and Fiddle Contests at Boarding House Park in Lowell, MA tomorrow (September 6, 2014) from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. This festival of dueling banjos and fiddles will feature a number of kids activities, informal jam sessions, and musicians competing to demonstrate their musical skill in nine categories ranging from young musicians to the Southern Appalachian Old Time style. For more information on the 35th Annual Banjo and Fiddle Contests, please visit the National Park Services’ Lowell Events page.

Photo CreditsCat and Dog Photo Credit: meknits / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Carnival Parade Photo Credit: experience Madeira, Algarve, Brazil !! / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Flaming Guitar Photo Credit: Yuri Samoilov Photo / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)