Friday Fun – Salem Happenings

Goodbye for Now and Thanks!

Almost exactly four years ago, I started writing this blog to help people answer a single question: “What are you going to do this weekend once you make your workplace escape?” In fact, every week, without fail, I’ve talked about a game, an event, a movie, or something else that I thought you might find interesting. And, hopefully, in that time, I did exactly that. However, after writing over 200 posts on things you can do this weekend, I thought it might be time to try something different. As a result, I’ve decided to put the blog on an indefinite hiatus, as I try to determine where to go next.

With that being said, I’d like to thank all of you for reading what I had to say, and I hope that some of you found at least a few things that were actually entertaining over the past four years. I have to admit that this may be my last post for a while but it certainly won’t be my last ever, and I hope you’ll keep an eye out for whatever comes next!

Thanks again!
-Evan

Photo credit: sinclair.sharon28 via VisualHunt / CC BY

Last-Minute Gifts for the Gamer in Your Life

Searching for a great last-minute gift for the gamer in your life? Looking for a way to give to charity and get some great games at the same time? Well, if you are looking for a way to help others through gaming, there’s probably no better way than purchasing a Humble Bundle.

A Humble Bundle is a collection of games from either a single publisher or a group of publishers offered by Humble Bundle, Inc. in which a portion of each bundle purchased is donated to charity. Each of these bundles will contain a number of great games, including games from a wide assortment of well-known and independent publishers for a variety of different platforms, and each set of games is only offered for a limited amount of time. As a result, you never quite know what will be in the next bundle, but there’s no question that it will be something worth playing. Best of all, there is no set price on each bundle, so you can actually decide how much you want to pay and whether you want it all to go charity or you want to split it between the developers and the charity of your choice. In fact, most bundles will actually throw in some extra games if you pay more than the average or more than a set amount, so you can get more if you give more. For more information on the Humble Bundle, including which games and/or other software is currently available, please visit the Humble Bundle website.

Photo credit: portalgda via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Give the Gift of Membership!

With Christmas now only a week and a half away, time is rapidly running out to finish up all of your shopping and wrap all of those gifts. In fact, if you have just looked at your list and realized that you forgot someone or that you still haven’t found gifts for some of the people that are hard to shop for, you may be starting to reach that point of panic. However, there’s no reason to fear the fact that Santa is coming to town because if you need some gifts quick, one of the easiest ways to grab some gifts (and help out a local non-profit at the same time) is to purchase a membership to a local public garden, museum, or zoo for your friend or family member.

Local public gardens, museums, and zoos typically offer annual memberships that will give your friend or family member a number of benefits including free or discounted admission, discounts on purchases in the gift shop or other similar locations, invitations to special members-only events, and a variety of other perks. In fact, many gardens, museums, and zoos actually have reciprocal agreements with other similar institutions so that if you have a membership for one garden, museum, or zoo, you may be able to use it to get free or discounted admission at another garden, museum, or zoo (although, it is important to note that only some institutions will accept memberships from other institutions, and there may be some additional conditions that apply in some cases.) Best of all, you don’t even need to leave your house to get one. All you need to know is your friend or family member’s address and the website of the organization you want to get them a membership from such as the Museum of Science or Zoo New England.

Photo via VisualHunt

COOOOKIES! The 2016 Girl Scout Cookie Sale Has Begun!

If you’re on the hunt for a great gift for the cookie aficionado in your life and you’re trying to find a way to give back to the community at the same time, the Girl Scouts of America may have exactly what you’re looking for. This is because the Girl Scout Cookie Sale actually begins today, which means that if you have a friend or family member who just can’t resist Caramel Delights®, Lemonades™, Peanut Butter Patties®, Thin Mints ®, Smores™ (the new cookies out this year), and/or all of the other Girl Scout cookies out there, all you need to do is find some local Girl Scouts.

Now, it’s not always easy to find a local troop, but there is, of course, an app (or website) for that. In fact, if you don’t know where to even start looking for some cookies, you can always use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder. This handy little website (which also comes in the form of an app) will allow you to get a list of all of the cookie booths that are scheduled in your area simply by entering your zip code. Best of all, if you decide to buy cookies from a local troop, you will actually be giving money to that troop because each troop will receive a portion of the proceeds from each box of cookies that they sell.

And, if you really don’t want the cookies and you can’t think of anyone to give them to, you can always buy a box or two (or ten) and have them donated to a local charity through the Girl Scouts’ Cookies for a Cause program. This way, you’re not only helping the Girl Scouts but also helping another charity as well. For more information on the Girl Scout Cookie sale, including all of the cookies that are currently available, please visit the Girl Scouts of America website.

Photo credit: Jim, the Photographer via Visual hunt / CC BY

Alex and Ani: Charity by Design

Do you have a friend, significant other, daughter, niece, or other individual in your life who’s really into charm bracelets and/or necklaces? Would you love to buy some jewelry as a gift and give to charity at the same time? Well, if you would, you’re in luck because it just so happens that Alex and Ani has a collection of bracelets that will allow you to do exactly that. In fact, Alex and Ani will donate 20% of the proceeds from any of the bracelets or necklaces purchased from their Charity by Design collection. This collection features a number of different designs and each design is associated with a different charity, including well-established charities such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Heart Association, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, March of Dimes, Toys for Tots, UNICEF, and a whole lot more. For more information and/or to purchase items from the Charity by Design collection straight from Alex and Ani, please visit the Charity by Design Collection page on the Alex and Ani website.

Photo via JamesDeMers via Visual hunt

Help Your Community on Family Volunteer Day

Are you looking for a way to teach your kids to help others? Would you like to find a way that you and your family can get involved in your community? Well, if you answered yes to either of these questions, you may be in luck because it just so happens that tomorrow (Saturday, November 19, 2016) is Family Volunteer Day. Family Volunteer Day is a nationwide event, designed by Points of Light and sponsored by the Walt Disney Company, that encourages families across the country to carry out acts of kindness and/or volunteer to complete projects for their local communities and neighborhoods.

In fact, if you’re in the Boston area, there is a local Family Volunteer Day event in Dorchester from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. on Saturday (November 19, 2016.) This event, which is run by Boston Cares, will allow you and your family members ages 5 and up to help create basic engineering kits, make-your-own robot kits, and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) kits for students in the Boston Public School System. For more information and/or to register for the event (registration is required), please visit the Family Volunteer Day page on the Boston Cares website.

And, if you are not in the Boston area, you can still find opportunities to volunteer in your local area by using the search feature on the Points of Light website.

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STEM Activities for Kids: Girls Day and the Mini Maker Faire

The ghouls, goblins, and ghosts have all returned to whence they came but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fun has to end. In fact, if you’re looking for a way that your kids can have some fun and learn something too, there are two events in the Boston area this weekend that will definitely help.

First, if you have a young woman in your family who loves science and engineering or you would really like to get your daughter interested in science and engineering, there’s probably no better event to spark a young girl’s interest in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) than Girls Day at the MIT Museum. This is because this biannual event, which is scheduled to take place from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Saturday (November 5, 2016), will give your daughter the opportunity to meet women engineers, learn about robotics and coding, and even try building and programming some robots herself. For more information on Girls Day at the MIT Museum, which is included in the admission fee for the museum and open to all girls ages 10 and up, please visit the MIT Museum’s Engage page.

However, if you have a young boy, a group of children of different genders, or you just don’t want to pay to get into the Museum, you can always head over to a local Barnes and Noble this weekend. This is because Barnes and Noble is hosting their second annual Mini Maker Faire from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday (November 5th and 6th, 2016). This event, which is free and open to the public, will allow you and your children ages 6 and up to meet designers, engineers, and teachers who will demonstrate their skills with coding, programmable music, robots, virtual reality, and a whole lot more. Best of all, the events at each store will feature games and other activities that will allow your children to create and experience the wonders of science firsthand. For more information on the Barnes and Noble Mini Maker Faire and/or to find a list of events for each store, please visit Barnes and Noble’s Mini Maker Faire page.

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Halloween Weekend: Ghost Stories and Zombies

All Hallows Eve is almost upon us, and this weekend may be your last chance to indulge in all of the thrills and chills that the season has to offer. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to embrace the Halloween spirit, there are a couple of events this weekend that are sure to send shivers down your spine.

First, if you have always loved the idea of sitting in an old cottage listening to creepy tales by candlelight or sitting outside by a campfire sharing your local ghost stories, Pioneer’s Village in Salem may have exactly what you’re looking for. This is because Pioneer’s Village is hosting the last night (at least for this year) of their annual Dark of Night event on Saturday (October 29, 2016) with stories starting at 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 P.M. This event will feature a group of local authors and storytellers that will share the frightening tales they have written or discovered while you sit by the candlelight in an exact replica of the type of thatch-roofed cottage you might have seen in 1630. For more information on Dark of Night at Pioneer Village and/or to order tickets for the event, please visit the Salem Witch House website or e-mail info@pioneervillagesalem.org.

Secondly, if you’re a huge fan of Shakespeare and a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, there’s a show at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) Plaza Black Box Theatre on Tremont Street in Boston that you won’t want to miss. This is because the Anthem Theatre Company is performing Twelfth Night of the Living Dead every night from now until November 5, 2016. This show will take Shakespeare’s famous play, Twelfth Night, and as you might expect, add the only thing that really makes almost every literary work better: Zombies. For more information on Twelfth Night of the Living Dead and/or to order tickets, please visit the Anthem Theatre Company website.

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Haunted Happenings: The Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre

One of my favorite places to go in Salem, especially during the Halloween season, is the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre. This theatre, which was formerly known as the Griffin Theatre during the off season and the Witch Cottage during Haunted Happenings, not only features a number of comedy acts, children’s programs, plays, and other performances during the year but also features some of the most impressive Halloween fare that you will find anywhere. In fact, the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre’s main attraction during the month of the October, the Witchcraft & Ghost Experience, is a theatrical performance that will dazzle you with special effects and possibly scare the ever living daylights out of you as you learn about the Salem Witch Trials and the legends that have existed in the Salem area for quite some time. Best of all, the Witchcraft & Ghost Experience is only one of the amazing pieces of entertainment that the theatre has to offer, and you may be able to enjoy one of the theatre’s local walking tours, ale tastings, magic shows, trolley tours, or their latest attraction, the Lost Museum as well. For more information on everything that the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre has to offer and/or to purchase tickets for a specific event, please visit the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre website.

Please Note: One of the scariest things about the Gallows Hill Museum/Theatre can be the lines on a Saturday. However, you can completely eliminate the unpleasantness of waiting in line to purchase tickets by purchasing your tickets online. In fact, if you would like to avoid lines all together, you can purchase a VIP Pass online that will let you avoid the ticket purchasing line, skip the line to get in, receive a Gallows Hill T-shirt, and get a free drink. If the VIP Pass is a little out of your price range though, you can always head to the theatre on a weekday when the crowds are much less frightening.

Photo via VisualHunt

The Salem Open Market 2016

Did you miss the Haunted Biz Baz Street Fair in Salem last week? Are you looking for another way to mix your love of Halloween with your love of shopping? Well, if you did miss the Biz Baz (A.K.A. the Bizarre Bazaar) and you’re looking for a place where you can find the ambience of the season and check out a whole bunch of cool stuff, there’s nothing to fear. Salem has you covered. In fact, the Salem Open Market will open for business on Essex Street and Derby Square this weekend. This street fair, which will be open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. until Halloween, will feature dozens and dozens of artists, artisans, crafters, designers, and other vendors who will be happy to show you everything from artwork to zombie-themed t-shirts (and all of the items in between.) Best of all, if you’re not really into shopping but you have a spouse or child who is, you can always bring them to the Open Market and then check out all of the tours and events that are happening throughout Salem. For more information on the Salem Open Market, please visit the New England Open Markets website.

Photo credit: HBarrison via Visual hunt / CC BY-SA