Salem residents get free pass to New England Aquarium all of September

With Salem schools not starting until Wednesday, September 9, summer is longer and more challenging for weary and cash-strapped parents and caregivers, continually looking for creative and entertaining ways to keep children busy for a few more days.

The New England Aquarium has just the remedy, exclusive to SALEM RESIDENTS ONLY: Free admission for the entire month of September. That is nearly a $100 savings for most families to see the Aquarium’s new exhibit on sea turtle rescue as well as penguins, fur seals, sea lions, harbor seals, sharks, sting rays, and thousands of more aquatic animals.

PROOF OF SALEM RESIDENCE - At the Aquarium’s box office, Salem residents need to show either their licenses, state identification cards, passports, or current mortgage, insurance, utility, or banking statements. Here is the link for more information: www.neaq.org/salem.  This offer is not available for phone or online orders, or for school or other group reservations. It may not be combined with other offers and is not valid on the New England Aquarium Whale Watch or in the Simons IMAX Theatre.

SALEM’S BENEFACTOR - Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll stated, "Salem is so fortunate to be the beneficiary of the Norman H. Read Trust, which focuses on funding science education and technology in our schools and for our children.~This September, Salem Days gives all of our residents the opportunity to explore marine science with free admission to the New England Aquarium."
Norman Read, who died in 1992 at age 100, made his fortune in the sciences of oil and natural gas in Texas and Alaska.~ Before he died, he created the trust as a means to enhance excellence in science education for all Salem residents.~Generations of his family were residents of Salem since colonial days.

OTHER FREE & LOW COST ACTIVITIES NEAR THE AQUARIUM – To build out a full, low cost day with kids in Boston beyond a free visit to the Aquarium, Salem residents might consider these other no or low cost entertainment options that are nearby. The Rose Kennedy Greenway in front of the Aquarium is now fully grown in, vibrant and exciting. Kids of all ages should wear their swim suits under their light summer clothing as they are welcome and encouraged to run through the unpredictable water jets of the Rings Fountain on the Greenway. Shrieks of excitement and laughter are guaranteed at no cost. Wander down the green path among the skyscrapers to see the widely acclaimed aerial sculpture that floats between the high rises. Hurry to see it as this ethereal, moving creation will come down in October before late autumn winds create havoc with it.
Stroll over to Quincy Market and check out their always amazing street performers. A bounty of cheap food options abound there, but if cash is really tight, pack a lunch and cross the Greenway to have a pleasant picnic on the wide lawns of Christopher Columbus Park overlooking sailboats tied up in the harbor. This park is truly one of Boston’s best kept secrets as it is tucked between the Long Wharf Marriott and the North End. The lawns are big enough for the kids to play with a ball or a Frisbee as adults get off their feet. Save your dessert for a gelato run as you explore Boston’s iconic Italian neighborhood.

TAKE THE SALEM FERRY - For a car-free adventure, Boston Harbor Cruises offers discounted tickets for Salem residents on the Fast Ferry that runs five crossings a day from Salem’s Blaney Street Pier into Boston’s Long Wharf North, adjacent to the Aquarium.          

54th Annual Salem Heritage Days Begins August 1st

Mayor Kimberley Driscoll today announced this year’s Heritage Days schedule of events which begin on Saturday, August 1st and continue through Sunday, August 9th. 

Mayor Driscoll stated, “Another week of fun filled activities are in store for this annual tradition.
I want to thank all the event managers that have worked so hard to bring almost forty different activities to choose from during Heritage Days this year.” 

Heritage Days kicks off this year with the 27th Annual Salem Maritime Festival at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site on Derby Wharf from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The 27th Salem Maritime Festival will host an exciting array of free family fun festivities, including free harbor cruises, traditional craft demonstrations, and children's activities. Come cruise, sail, paddle, and row through four centuries of Salem maritime history. Explore the Friendship of Salem and visiting vessels.  It doesn’t stop there folks, there are also three different events happening at the Willows on Saturday.  Be entertained by the Bridgin G.A.P.S. concert with performances ranging from local and non-local recording artists, live bands, dance groups, poets and other performance beginning at noon and running until 6:00 p.m. The Firemen’s Muster takes place at 12:30 p.m. where crews will compete to throw the longest stream of water with an antique hand pumped fire engine.  Clown Day will be also be happening from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. where clowns will be on hand all day to make balloon figures for your children, get their face painted and let them be entertained by a special performance at 2:30pm.

New this year is the City and the Salem Moose Family Center joining forces to combine Sunday’s August 2nd tour-a-truck event with Public Safety Day that usually happens in September.  Along with all of the kids’ big truck favorites, there will be some music and many new things to do and see.  The Ladies of the Moose will be donating 50 bike helmets to be fitted by the Salem Police Department (first come first serve).

Also new this year, something a bit different, Sail Salem will be hosting the 2015 Optimist New England Championship Sailing Regatta at Winter Island with over 400 young sailors from around the country. Although you may only catch a glimpse of the races from Waikiki Beach or the Willows Pier, the best view will be on spectator boats, so think about booking passage. (for rates and reservations go to Sea-Shuttle.com or www.MahiCruises.com. For more information about the Regatta go to www.sailsalem.org

Don’t worry, all your favorites are packed into the schedule:  Salem’s Best Pizza Contest, the Salem Community Concert Band; the Ice Scream Bowl; Kids Night on the Common, the Essex Street Fair and the 14th Annual Phillips House Antique Car Meet to name a few.

During Heritage Week there are also four activities just for Salem Seniors: an ice cream social; a barbecue; a wellness fair and a dinner dance.

For our residents, Salem is the perfect place for your STAY-CATION.  Spend a day being a tourist and take advantage of the generosity of our tourist related business community. Many are free to Salem residents all year long like the Peabody Essex Museum, the Salem Witch Museum, the Salem Trolley (June-September), and the House of the Seven Gables.  The Witch House will be free to Salem residents during Heritage week and Pioneer Village will be free to residents on Saturday August 1st. The Salem Ferry always has discounts for residents and during Heritage Days the Sea Shuttle, Mahi Mahi Cruises and the Schooner Fame are offering discounts for residents.

As part of the celebration, the City of Salem will double the merchant one-hour validation stamps at both garages, so spend a little bit longer enjoying downtown (some restrictions do apply).

CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

13th Annual Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival

February 6 - 15, 2015
Is living in a polar vortex getting you down? Is cabin fever making you cranky and unpleasant? Not sure what to do with your significant other on Valentine's Day?
Well help is on the way with the 13th Annual Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival! A week-long festival of food, wine, chocolate and winter-time fun!

Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival officially kicks off with a Chocolate and Wine Tasting, on Friday, February 6 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at Colonial Hall, 227 Essex Street. This luscious tasting event features wine and chocolate samplings from premier Salem restaurants, stores and sweet shops. To reserve your tickets please click here.

In celebration of the chocolate weekend, many of Salem's finest restaurants will feature special chocolate offerings on their menus, including deserts, cocktails, and inventive sauces. Participating Salem retailers will also take part with in-store events and promotions, displays and items geared toward chocolate and Valentine's Day. For more information about Salem's So Sweet please visit www.salemmainstreets.org/festivals/salem-so-sweet/. 

There will be more than 15 large ice sculptures around downtown Salem, with themes including a a mermaid, ruby slippers, a film projector, and many more! A map of sculptures and locations will be available below and on brochures distributed around town closer to the festival. The Salem Trolley will be offering trolley rides around the festival route weather permitting on Feb. 7 and 8 from 12 pm to 4 pm for $2 a person.  Pick-up locations will be at the Visitors Center, Pickering Wharf, and near Rockafellas on Washington Street.


HAVE FUN!

Another Great Documentary Line-up on Tap for Salem Film Fest

If you are looking for something to do during the first week of March, check out the 7th annual all-documentary Salem Film Fest . Salem Film Fest will be held March 6 – March 13, 2014, in Salem, MA, with a strong line-up of 37 films from 14 different countries. Twenty-three of these films will be making their World, North American, US, East Coast, New England or Massachusetts premiere – the most “first looks” ever in the festival’s seven year history – including the World premiere of KASHEER, directed by Salem filmmaker Elayne McCabe who will be at the festival to present.

Spread out over eight days with film screenings at three different venues in downtown Salem, the festival will kick off at CinemaSalem with the New England premiere of A FRAGILE TRUST, which tells the shocking story of Jayson Blair, the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time, and how he unleashed the massive scandal that rocked The New York Times and the entire world of journalism. A Q&A with filmmaker Samantha Grant will follow. Other festival premieres include ELEKTRO MOSKVA, an “electromagnetic fairytale” showcasing Russia’s electronic music history; WEB, a thought-provoking film that explores the human and societal impact of global connectivity; POWERLESS, which examines the class battle over electricity in India; EVERYBODY STREET, about the lives and work of New York’s iconic street photographers; and RICH HILL, which recently won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmakers will be present for over half of this year’s screenings, providing audiences with a unique opportunity to learn more about the documentary filmmaking process.

All film screenings will be preceded by our homegrown and wildly popular shorts Salem Sketches. Shot, edited and produced by festival organizers Joe Cultrera and Perry Hallinan and a mix of Salem Film Fest alumni filmmakers and filmmakers-in-residence, these short vignettes capture the heart and soul of Salem and bring to light some of the city’s hidden gems. “It seems we have discovered a way to add a touch of Salem to our lineup while also creating original content for the festival that was about the city. It’s something I don’t think any other film festival is doing,” says Cultrera. “I think it’s something that will organically grow each year as other filmmakers come here to show their work, enjoy the city and see these Salem Sketches. It’s becoming Salem Film Fest’s unofficial filmmaker-in-residence program.”

An exciting addition to the festival awards this year will be the presentation of The Michael Sullivan FRONTLINE Award for Journalism in a Documentary Film, a $1,000 cash prize that will be awarded to the filmmaker judged to have presented a tough, controversial story through engaging and fair minded investigative reportage. The award is in honor of the late Michael Sullivan, a guiding figure behind PBS’ FRONTLINE as well as a Salem Film Fest participant and supporter. FRONTLINE Executive Producer David Fanning will be on hand to present.

“We have a diverse group of films from all over the world screening at this year’s festival, yet there is something in each and every one of these films that anyone can relate to,” says program director Jeff Schmidt. “As one of America’s oldest port cities, there is something special about that notion of the stories from far off lands that were shared in the old trading days that we’ve been able to recapture with this festival that’s a lot of fun in today’s instant gratification via the Internet world.”

For more information about Salem Film Fest visit www.salemfilmfest.com, follow Salem Film Fest on Facebook (www.facebook.com/salemfilmfest) and Twitter (@_SalemFilmFest).