Murder Mystery – Salem Happenings

A Snowy Valentine’s Day

Sick of the snow? Looking for something fun and warm to do this Valentine’s Day? Well, fear not. Even though Boston is under six and half feet of snow right now, there’s still plenty of stuff going on this weekend to keep you and your significant other entertained. In fact, even if you don’t have a significant other right now, there are a number of events in the Boston area this weekend that are sure to warm your heart even if they don’t necessarily warm your hands.

First, if you and/or your significant other are into sweets, there’s no better place to be this weekend than the Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival. The Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival is an annual tradition in Salem, Massachusetts that typically runs the week before Valentine’s Day, and this year is no different. This festival, which runs until 6:30 P.M. on Sunday (February 15, 2015), features over 15 ice sculptures (including some that aren’t completely buried in snow yet), chocolate tastings, discounts at local museums and restaurants, a raffle, wine tastings, and more. For more information on the Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival, please visit the Salem Main Streets Festival page.

If, on the other hand, you and/or your beloved are more interested in mysteries than ice and chocolates or you are looking for some way to combine your Valentine’s Day celebration with Friday the 13th (without watching a movie like My Bloody Valentine), you may want to check out Marriage Can be Murder. Marriage Can be Murder is a murder mystery scheduled to take place at the Elephant and Castle Pub in Boston at 5:00, 6:30, and 8:00 P.M. tomorrow (February 14, 2015). This production, which will be performed by the Mystery Cafe, will place you and a group of other individuals in the role of wedding guests tasked with determining who committed the most horrific faux pas imaginable — murdering one of the other guests. In fact, you will not only be able to go through clues and use fake money to bribe the actors for more information between scenes but also join in all of the typical wedding festivities like trying to catch the bouquet, doing the chicken dance, and more. For more information on Marriage Can be Murder and/or to order tickets, please visit the Mystery Cafe website.

Finally, if you don’t have a significant other or you’ve always thought Valentine’s Day was a lame excuse to sell more greeting cards, Area Four in Cambridge has you covered. This is because Area Four is hosting their Fourth Annual Haters Valentine’s Day from 5:00 P.M. to midnight tomorrow (February 14, 2015). This somewhat unusual Valentine’s Day celebration will allow you to watch a series of angry films; listen to emo music; and sample a variety of anti-Valentine’s Day themed dishes, including Arrabbiata “Angry” Pizza, Jerked Chicken, Irate Rice, and Skewered Lamb Neck. For more information on the Fourth Annual Haters Valentine’s Day celebration, please visit Area Four’s Yelp event page.

Photo credit: seyed mostafa zamani / Foter / CC BY

Wait…What Day Is It Again?

No matter what you do, there’s never enough time in the day to accomplish everything. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that one of the most difficult tasks you will face on a daily basis is trying to figure out how you’re going to accomplish the mountain of tasks that you have set before you. As a result, it really should come as no surprise that you have to prioritize and put off things that you think you can accomplish later. The problem is that later, like tomorrow, next week, and eventually, never really comes, and it is very easy to find yourself in a situation where you have waited a little too long to accomplish the tasks that you needed to accomplish. Fortunately, if you have just looked at the date on this post or looked up at your calendar and realized that you are in one of those situations right now, there’s no need to panic. I’ve got you covered.

First, if you remembered to get a gift, but you’re desperately looking for some way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your mystery-obsessed Valentine, I have the event for you. The All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Braintree, MA is hosting a chocolate-themed murder mystery at 7:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, February 15, 2014) entitled “A Chocolate Affair.” This event will allow you and your Valentine to help solve a murder mystery involving a series of chocolaty characters, including BonBon Goodbar, Mayor P.T. Butterfingers, Melky Way, Mr. and Mrs. Reese, Truffles Lindt, Zagnut Goodbar, and more. Best of all, you will be able to sample a wide assortment of chocolates while you attempt to figure out who did it. For more information on A Chocolate Affair and/or to order tickets, please visit the All Souls Braintree Blog.

Secondly, if you totally forgot about Valentine’s Day and you’re desperately looking for some way to show your chocolate-loving Valentine that you care, I would highly recommend that you take a trip to Salem this weekend. This is because Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, which began last weekend, runs until this Sunday (February 16, 2014.) This festival will allow you and your Valentine to view a number of carefully crafted ice sculptures as you wander the streets of Salem making your way from one chocolate shop to the next. In fact, if you didn’t remember to get your Valentine a gift, you may come across a number of chocolaty delights, jewelry, and other gift ideas in the small shops throughout the city. For more information on the festival, please visit the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s event page.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

Friday Fun: Fireworks and Mysteries

The fireworks may be over but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to be. In fact, if you missed out on the 4th of July festivities, you may be in luck as there are still some places that are having fireworks tonight and tomorrow. As a result, if you’re looking for something to do now that the 4th of July has come and gone, you may want to look into some of the fireworks displays and other events that are happening this weekend.

First, if your kids love arts and crafts and are really into fireworks, you may want to think about taking them to the Boston Children’s Museum this weekend. The Boston Children’s Museum is holding a special event entitled Kitchen Science: Fireworks in a Glass on Saturday, July 6, 2013 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. This event will allow your children ages 5 and up to use oil, food coloring, and other items found around the kitchen to make colorful firework-like designs in a glass. For more information, please visit the Boston Children’s Museum website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for an activity that you can do without the kids and/or you’ve always been a fan of murder mysteries, the Museum of Fine Arts may have exactly what you’re looking for this weekend. The Museum of Fine Arts and Watson Adventures is hosting a Murder at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 6, 2013. This event, which is only open to adults, will feature a series of clues related to the art in the museum that will help you to determine why the museum curator was killed and, most importantly, who killed the curator. To find out more about the event or to register for it, please visit the Watson Adventures website.

Finally, if you were hoping to catch another fireworks display or you missed all of the displays earlier in the week, Falmouth, Hudson, Lowell, and Waltham are all having fireworks displays that begin somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30 pm tonight (July 5, 2013.) If you can’t make it to any of the displays tonight, however, don’t worry. Ayer, Brockton, Hudson, Salisbury, and Wilmington are also having fireworks displays this weekend, but each of these displays will begin somewhere between 9:00 and 10:15 pm tomorrow (July 6, 2013.) For more information, please check your local paper.