Friday Fun – Page 11 – Salem Happenings

Fire and Ice

2014 has finally come to an end, and a new year and the winter weather that often comes with it is certainly upon us. In fact, as I sit here typing this post, I can see that my thermometer has thawed just enough to actually inform me that the temperature has moved from a delightful “freeze your extremities off” reading of 19 degrees to a “seemingly warm by New England in January standards” reading of 24 degrees. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. Five degrees is not really much of a difference, but trust me, when the temperature starts to drop that low, every degree starts to feel like an ice age approaching or a sweltering heat wave (probably because you have thirteen layers of clothing on.) However, just because it’s cold enough that you could use your porch as your own personal freezer doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t have some fun this weekend. And, if fun is what you’re looking for this weekend, there are a number of places that will allow you to embrace the ice of the season or fan the flames to melt it away.

First, if you’re just looking for a way for you and your kids to embrace the icy magic of the season, you may want to check out the Snowflake Festival. The Snowflake Festival, which is scheduled to take place at the Brookline Arts Center from 12:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, January 3, 2015), is a winter arts and crafts festival. This festival will allow you and your family to decorate cookies, learn about Monoprinting as part of a special free workshop, make brass and copper bracelets as part of a special workshop, make paper snowflakes and other wintery creations, eat cake in honor of the Center’s 50th anniversary, and more. For more information on the Snowflake Festival and Open House at the Brookline Arts Center, please visit the Brookline Arts Center website.

If, on the other hand, you’ve decided that you’re not really ready for this whole winter thing (and, really who above the age of 21 is ever truly ready), the Fire and Ice Festival in Boston may help you embrace the season or, at the very least, stave off the cold a little longer. The Fire and Ice Festival, which will occur at the Lawn on D at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), runs from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. tonight (January 2, 2015) and 11:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Saturday and Sunday (January 3 – 4, 2015.) This festival will feature all things fire and ice, including an entire labyrinth made of nearly 300 giant ice blocks, fire pits, fire dancers, fire eaters, jugglers (with flaming objects of course), and a whole lot more. For more information on the Fire and Ice Festival in Boston, please visit the Official Lawn on D website.

Finally, if you’re just looking for somewhere good to eat that will certainly have the warm food you need to beat back the cold, you can always try my personal favorite, Fire and Ice. Fire and Ice, which has locations in Boston, Cambridge, Providence, Anaheim, and Lake Tahoe, is a create-your-own dish restaurant that will allow you to choose from dozens and dozens of different vegetables, meats, noodles, and sauces. Professional cooks will then take all of the ingredients that you have chosen, throw them on a grill, and cook you a meal that you certainly won’t forget. And best of all, if you chose a sauce or some other ingredients that you’re not really thrilled with, you can always go back up and try again because Fire and Ice is setup somewhat like a buffet. For more information on Fire and Ice, please visit the Fire and Ice website.

Photo credit: Furryscaly / IWoman / CC BY-SA

The Day After Christmas: Ideas for Unwanted Gifts

About a month ago, I talked about Black Friday, the day that every business loves and all retail employees dread. However, now that Christmas is over, there’s another day that not only retail employees dread but the stores that they work for dread as well. This day that lives in retail infamy is of course today because the Day After Christmas, which is also known as Boxing Day in a number of countries and states, has become the chosen time for people to return all of their duplicate gifts, broken items, and all of the other stuff that they simply didn’t need or didn’t want.

In fact, more returns occur on the Day After Christmas than on any other date on the calendar, so it has become a day for many stores to watch their hard-earned (or, in some cases, not-so-hard-earned) money disappear in a puff of smoke. Fortunately, if you’re feeling a little guilty about that fact (which you shouldn’t be because most stores make all their money back from impulse buys before you have even left the store), you don’t know where your gift came from, or you simply don’t want to brave the crazy mobs at the mall to wait in line for the rest of your natural life, here are some ways that you can get rid of your unwanted stuff without going back to the store.

1. Give it to Someone Else.

If you have an unbroken gift that you don’t need or you don’t want, you can always pass it on to someone else like a proverbial fruitcake (and if you like fruitcake, I do apologize for the implication.) In fact, just because you don’t like a gift or already have three of them doesn’t necessarily mean that someone else won’t love it and/or find it extremely useful. There are a number of charities that will happily accept any clothing, large items, toys, and/or other gifts that you may be trying to get rid of, and if you can’t find a charity that wants your gift, you can always give it to a friend or family member that will love it (and, if they don’t love it, they’ll just begin the process all over again.)

2. Sell it.

If you have an unbroken gift or, in some cases, a broken gift that could be repaired, you may be able to convince someone else to buy it. Yard sales, auction sites like eBay, online stores like Amazon or Etsy, and the classifieds in your local newspaper or on Craigslist are all great ways to find a potential buyer and get rid of all of the stuff that you don’t want. Best of all, you can even get rid of some of the stuff that has been sitting around your house since long before Christmas because you’re selling stuff anyway.

The only thing to keep in mind is that selling your stuff will require you to deal with customers, so it is important to make sure that whatever you say in person or on the listing is detailed and accurate and that you a have a plan for how to actually get the item to the person that buys it. This is especially important for broken items that you are attempting to sell online (or even at a yard sale) because you may find the whole process to be a much bigger hassle than it’s worth if you don’t make it clear that the item you are selling is damaged.

It’s also important to remember that if you are selling a gift, you should make sure to sell your gift somewhere that the person who gave it to you is unlikely to see it. This is important because it’s going to be pretty awkward when your aunt or uncle shows up at your yard sale only to find out that you are selling all of the stuff they gave you.

3. Find a Use for It.

If all else fails and/or you just feel too guilty to get rid of one or more of your Christmas gifts, you can always use your gift in a way other than it was originally intended. For example, if your child got a teddy bear that is big enough to be seen from space, you could always use it as a chair in your child’s room. If you got six calendars that you absolutely love, but, like most people, you only really need one of them, you can cut out the images from the calendars that you like and use them as posters. And, if you got enough socks to outfit a small armed force, you could always turn them into your own sock puppet army and entertain all of the little children in your household or even your extended family.

Photo credit: Corey Ann / DecorLove.com / CC BY-ND

Twas The Weekend Before Christmas 2014

Twas the weekend before Christmas, when you felt like a louse
Because you had forgotten to buy gifts for all in the house.
The gifts bags were empty, the wrapping paper was there,
But you desperately needed to find a gift with some flair.

As the kids stood watch with pans on their heads,
Using candy cane swords to strike their foes dead,
You sat quietly wondering “What the heck am I going to do?
Six shopping days till Christmas and I don’t have a clue.”

When, suddenly the cobwebs from your brain began to scatter,
And your fears of a giftless Christmas ultimately shatter.
“The internet’s the answer!” you think to yourself.
“It’s far better than any silly elf on a shelf!”

Then, the glow of that beautiful screen,
Suddenly seems a whole lot less serene
When the realization begins to set in
That there’s no way your items will reach you before Christmas is “Fin.”

You could always pay extra so they deliver it real quick,
But the amount of money involved would certainly make you sick.
And with only days left to find something in the mall,
It’s going to be tough to find your kids’ Christmas doll.

However, I’m here to say:
“Fear not on this wondrous winter day,
For if it is a last-minute gift that you need,
All you have to do is read here and take heed!”

1. Tickets

When I say tickets, I’m not talking about parking tickets or speeding tickets because while it would be great if you could give somebody you absolutely loathe all of your unpaid tickets and require them to pay them for you, the world just doesn’t work that way. Instead, what I’m actually talking about here is tickets to the theater or tickets to a sporting event. I mean when you stop and think about it, almost everyone has a band, a musical, a sport, or some other type of event that they absolutely love but don’t necessarily want to pay for. As a result, buying tickets to a show or a game that a friend or family member really wants to go to can be a great way to grab a last minute gift.

In fact, this type of gift is great for people that already have a lot of stuff because you’re buying something that they really want and something that doesn’t take up a lot space. Best of all, you can always print out the tickets at the very last minute and still have them under the tree for Christmas.

2. Coupons

Alright, I know you’re probably sitting there looking at the word, “coupons”, while slowly backing away from the guy who’s obviously lost his mind, but bear with me for just a second. I’m not suggesting that you should hand your beloved aunt or uncle the coupon booklet from [Insert Store Here] that you just got out of the mail. What I am suggesting is that you, like most people, have a very unique set of skills that may come in handy to other members of your family. For example, you may be good with a computer or good with a hammer while the rest of your family screams like somebody out of a horror movie every time someone mentions the word “mouse” or “batt” (for those of you who are not familiar with carpentry terminology, batt refers to a specific type of insulation.) This means that you may be able to offer your skills as a present if there is something that you can do to make someone else’s life easier.

In fact, you don’t necessarily have to have a unique skill. If there is a task that someone hates to do or a task that someone is simply too busy to do, you may be able to give that person a set of coupons that represents your promise to carry out some of the tasks that he or she finds time-consuming or bothersome. Best of all, some of the tasks that you offer could actually be fun (especially if you’re an adult and you use your imagination), and most of the time, they won’t cost you a thing.

3. Memberships

If you know someone that loves a particular museum, zoo, or another similar location, a membership to that location can be one of the best and easiest gifts that you will ever find. This is because memberships typically allow an individual to go to their favorite museum, zoo, gym, or other location for a substantially discounted price all year long. In fact, most of the museums and zoos that offer memberships will actually allow their members and, in some cases, their members’ friends and family, to enter the museum or zoo for free. This means that if you have a family member with young children that goes to the zoo several times a year in spite of the alarming amount of money it costs, you could buy them a membership that would allow them to go as many as times as they wanted for significantly less or, in some cases, without paying a dime (until the kids reach the gift shop and all bets are off.)

For more last minute Christmas ideas, see last years’ weekend before Christmas post.

Photo credit: asenat29 / DecorLove / CC BY

‘Tis the Season for Cookies and Crafts

Christmas Eve is only two weeks away, which means no matter which holiday you celebrate, time is running out fast. In fact, if you or your friends celebrate Chanukah, time has pretty much run out already as the celebration begins at sundown on Tuesday. This means that if you haven’t found gifts for everybody on your list yet, you may be looking for some not quite last minute, but pretty close to the end ideas. Fortunately, if this is indeed the case and you’re trying to cross a few more names off your holiday list, there are a couple of awesome events this weekend that are sure to help you find presents for all of the people and/or pets in your life.

First, if you’re searching for the perfect gift for the cookie-lover in your life, the Girl Scouts of America have you covered. This is because the Girl Scout Cookie Sale actually begins today, which means that if you know someone who just can’t live without their Thin Mints ®, Caramel Delights®, Peanut Butter Patties®, Lemonades™, Cranberry Citrus Crisps, or any of the multitude of other Girl Scout cookies out there, all you need to do is find a local Girl Scout troop. Now, finding a local troop can be easier said than done in some cases, but the Girl Scouts have actually already thought of that. In fact, if you’re having trouble finding a local troop, you may want to try out the Girl Scout Cookie Finder because this handy little website (or app) will allow you to put in your information and a local troop will find you. For more information on the Girl Scout Cookie sale, including all of the cookies that are available, please visit the Girl Scouts of America website.

Secondly, if your loved one is a fan of handcrafted gifts and you can’t make it to any of the craft fairs that I mentioned last week (which with the exception of CraftBoston are still running), there is another local fair that you may want to check out. The 11th Annual SoWa Holiday Market is scheduled to take place from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday (December 13, 2014) and 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday (December 14, 2014) at the Benjamin Franklin Institute on Berkeley Street in Boston. This holiday fair will feature candy, cards, candles, ceramics, clothing, coffee, glassware, jewelry, and more. For more information on the SoWa Holiday Market, please visit the SoWa Holiday Market website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

Girl Scouts ®, Thin Mints ®, Caramel Delights®, Peanut Butter Patties®, Lemonades™, and all associated names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Unique Holiday Gifts

With 21 days until Kwanzaa, 20 days until Christmas, 16 days until the Winter Solstice, 11 days until the beginning of Chanukah, and less than 30 days for whatever other December holiday that you celebrate, you may be trying to find the perfect gift before time runs out. In fact, you may already be tearing your hair out trying to figure out what to get your loved ones this year because you want to get something uniquely awesome, but you have no idea what that is. Fortunately, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, there are several events this weekend that are devoted to one-of-a-kind gifts that your family is sure to love (and if they don’t, they’ll learn to love them because some of these gifts are awfully hard to return.)

First, if you’re looking for a gift that would be considered part of the apparel, accessories, and/or food family (and don’t worry, the food isn’t actually part of the clothing until you wear it for the first time and spill it all over yourself at dinner), you should definitely check out Boston’s Downtown Holiday Market. The Downtown Holiday Market, which is located at 459 Washington Street in Boston, will feature a different set of local vendors each week from now until January 10, 2015. Some of the vendors that you can expect to see this week include Alex’s Ugly Sauce, Epoca Amber Jewelry, Golden Rule Honey, Karol Peralta Jewelry, Mao Sim Silk, and Recycled Glass Jewelry. For more information on the Downtown Holiday Market, which is open from 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, please visit the Downtown Boston website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for a hand-crafted gift or a gift that is truly one-of-a-kind, you may want to head over to the Hynes Convention Center this weekend. This is because the Hynes Convention Center is hosting the CraftBoston Holiday 2014 show, which will feature 175 artists and crafters that are planning to exhibit and/or sell their carefully crafted apparel, baskets, ceramics, furniture, glassware, jewelry, leather, metal art, wood crafts, and more. For more information on the event, including a complete program guide with all of the artists and crafters that will be exhibiting their work, please visit the Society of Arts and Crafts CraftBoston Holiday page.

Finally, if you’re looking for a truly unique gift that you can get without making the trek into Boston, you may want to check out the Lexington Arts and Crafts Holiday Marketplace. The Lexington Arts and Crafts Holiday Marketplace, which is located at 130 Waltham Street in Lexington, MA, is a large arts and crafts fair that runs from now until Christmas Eve (December 24, 2014.) This fair will feature dozens and dozens of artists and crafters who will be more than happy to sell you baskets, beads, cards, ceramics, decorations, jewelry, metal art, needle art, paintings, photographs and prints, and more. For more information on the Holiday Marketplace, which is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 12:00 to 6:00 PM on Sunday, please visit the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society website.

Photo credit: John Drake Flickr / Foter / CC BY-ND

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the day that every business loves and every underpaid retail employee dreads is once again upon us – Black Friday. Black Friday, of course, is both loved and loathed for the fact that it marks the beginning of the holiday season with early morning sales, crowded stores, and crazy shoppers (including some people who enjoy their craziness just a little too much.) Yet, just because the stores say that the holiday season has officially begun doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve found your Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice/[Insert Holiday Here] spirit just yet. As a result, you may be looking for a better way to get yourself into the appropriate holiday spirit than buying a bunch of stuff or shoveling the year’s first snow.

If this is indeed the case, and you’re looking for a holiday activity to get yourself into the right mindset for the season, the City of Lowell may have exactly what you’re looking for. This is because Lowell, Massachusetts is hosting their annual City of Lights Parade from 4:30 to 6:30 PM tomorrow (Saturday, November 29, 2014.) This parade will feature marching bands, lighted floats, and a series of events throughout the day that all lead up to the official holiday lighting of the city. In fact, you can expect arts and crafts for the kids, children’s book readings, children’s shopping, holiday shopping tours, a “Holly Jolly Trolley” complete with music and park rangers dressed as elves, hot chocolate, jugglers, magicians, music, and a whole lot more all day long. For more information on the City of Lights Parade and all of the events occurring in Lowell this weekend, please visit the City of Lowell’s website.

If, on the other hand, you’re not a big fan of outdoor events in 30 degrees or you’re a hockey fan who’s looking for something to do while you hide from all the aforementioned crazy people lurking in the malls, you may be happy to know that you can find the spirit of the season without even leaving your home. This is because the NHL has taken a cue from the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games and made Black Friday a great day to watch hockey. In fact, there are over 20 NHL games scheduled this weekend with 11 of those games, including the NHL’s Thanksgiving Showdown, taking place today. As a result, you should have no problem finding a way to watch your favorite team on the ice whether they’re the Bruins, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Blues, Canadiens, Canucks, Capitals, Devils, Ducks, Flyers, Islanders, Jets, Hurricanes, Panthers, Oilers, Penguins, Rangers, Red Wings, Sabres, Senators, Stars, or one of the other 9 teams playing this weekend. For more information on the NHL games this weekend, please take a look at the NHL’s schedule page.

Photo credit: CopperCatStudios / Foter / CC BY-SA

Not Every Potter is Named Harry

If you’ve read my recent posts, you’ve probably realized that there’s sort of a theme for this month and that theme is creativity. In fact, I’ve already discussed a variety of workshops that were specifically designed to help you explore acting, cartooning, filmmaking, photography, and writing. However, even though I’ve covered all of those creative outlets, there’s still a number of other artistic outlets that I haven’t covered yet. As a result, I decided that this week I would talk about some of the ways that you can explore one of the creative outlets that I haven’t discussed, the fine art of pottery.

First, if you have a young child who is an aspiring potter or you would love to channel your child’s inherent messiness into the creation of art, there is no better place to do so than the Brookline Arts Center’s Parent and Child Pottery Workshop. This workshop, which is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, November 22, 2014), will teach you and your child the basic skills you need to hand-make a teacup, tile, tumbler, or vase. For more information on the Parent and Child Pottery Workshop and/or to register for the class, which is intended for children four years and older, please visit the Brookline Arts Center website.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a way to work on some pottery without your child or you would rather paint pottery than make it, you may want to check out the Pottery Night at Paint N’ Pour in Waltham, MA. This laid-back workshop will allow you to spend the evening with other adults while you paint a plate with one of the designs provided or create your own. The fine people at Paint N’ Pour will then take your plate, fire it in the kiln, and glaze it, so in 7 – 10 days you will have your very own hand-painted plate. For more information on the Pottery Night at Paint N’ Pour, please visit the Paint N’ Pour website. Also, please note that this is an alcohol-free event even though the name of the location might suggest otherwise.

Photo credit: owlpacino / Foter / CC BY-ND

Aspiring Artists, Photographers, and Writers

Last week I talked about some of the ways that we can inspire creativity in our children, but after writing that post, something occurred to me. Why should kids have all the fun? There are plenty of workshops, conventions, and other similar activities that are designed for people of all ages, so what’s actually stopping the adults among us from seeking out ways to inspire our own creativity? In fact, if you’re an aspiring artist, an aspiring photographer, or an aspiring writer, there’s really no reason that you can’t join in on the fun and explore some of the great creative opportunities this weekend.

First, if you’re an aspiring artist or an aspiring cartoonist, there is probably no better place to be this weekend than DrawnCon. DrawnCon, which is scheduled to take place at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford, MA from 9:00 A.M. tomorrow (Saturday, November 15, 2014) to 6:00 P.M. Sunday (November 16, 2014), is one of the largest conventions dedicated to Western art and animation in the Northeast. This convention will allow you to learn what makes a cartoon work and what doesn’t, learn the finer points of voice acting from actual voice actors, learn how to draw your favorite cartoon characters, learn about costuming, learn about the worst and greatest cartoons past and present, audition for your own voice acting role, and a whole lot more. For more information on DrawnCon, please visit the official DrawnCon website.

Secondly, if you’re an aspiring photographer, there is a very interesting workshop this weekend at the Plymouth Center for the Arts (and I don’t mean “interesting” in the “wow, that’s weird” sense.) This is because the Plymouth Center for the Arts is hosting an i-Phonography Workshop with Rad Drew. This workshop will teach you how to use your iPhone to take pictures and use apps and processing techniques to create beautiful images that convey whatever effect you desire. For more information on the i-Phonography Workshop with Rad Drew, please visit the Plymouth Center for the Arts website.

Finally, if you’re an aspiring writer, there is another free talk at the Cambridge Public Library tomorrow (November 15, 2014) that is definitely worth checking out. Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, a writing professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an award-winning essay writer, will discuss how to convey a truly engaging character from 2:30 to 3:00 P.M. Saturday. For more information on the talk, which is part of the Free Writing Craft Talk series at the Library, please visit the Cambridge Public Library’s Event Calendar.

Photo credit: Photo Extremist / Foter / CC BY

Inspiring Your Child’s Creativity

My oldest niece turned 16 last week, and it got me thinking. Is it ever really too early to start inspiring a child’s creativity? I mean all of the doctors, psychologists, teachers, and child development experts will certainly tell you that the earlier you start reading to your child and encouraging his or her creativity, the better off your child will be in the long run. However, does it really make sense to sign your 6-month old up for a book club or a writing workshop? Probably not.

Yet, if you give it some thought, you may come to the same somewhat startling, but not completely shocking realization that I came to. The experts are probably right. We live in a world where the flower girl at your wedding could be old enough to drive your car in the blink of an eye, which means that we all have a lot less time than we think. As a result, it’s always a good idea to use the time that we do have wisely, and if you’re looking for a way to inspire your child’s creativity while you can, there are some events this weekend that are sure to help.

First, if your child is an aspiring filmmaker or you would like your child to be, you may want to head over to the Boston International Kids Film Festival this weekend. This festival, which runs from 6:00 P.M. today (November 7, 2014) to approximately 5:00 P.M. on Sunday (November 9, 2014), will allow you and your children to view a series of short films that are specifically designed for kids as well as films that are actually directed and/or produced by kids. In fact, the festival will not only feature over 50 short kids films, but will also feature a number of workshops that will teach you and/or your family how to make your own movie and how to use social media more effectively. For more information on the Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF), please visit the BIKFF website.

Secondly, if your child is one of those fine, upstanding individuals that turns his or her nose up at anything but the theatre or you’re just looking for an opportunity to get some embarrassing photos that will haunt your child for years to come, you may want to encourage your child to check out the Natick Drama Workshop. The Natick Drama Workshop is a 10-week drama program that is designed to teach young actors the finer points of performing on the stage. This program will allow your child to audition for a drama troop of 40 – 60 students and, if they get a part, rehearse to perform in front of an actual audience at the Kennedy Middle School in Natick as part of a full production complete with costumes, sets, and props. Registration for this year’s workshop is currently closed and there is already a waiting list for next year, but you and your children can still get tickets to see their production of Wonderland this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (November 7 – 9, 2014) if you want to see what it’s like. For more information on the Natick Drama Workshop and/or Wonderland, please visit the Natick Drama Workshop website.

Finally, if you or your slightly older child has an undeniable love of writing or you’ve been reading all of this and thinking “my kid could write better than this guy”, there is a free writing talk at the Cambridge Public Library this weekend. Margot Livesey, writer-in-residence at Emerson College and award-winning author of the novel The Flight of Gemma Hardy, will discuss how to create engaging dialogue from 2:30 to 3:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, November 8, 2014.) For more information on the talk, which is part of the Free Writing Craft Talk series at the Library, please visit the Cambridge Public Library’s Event Calendar.

Photo credit: adplayers / Foter / CC BY-ND

Halloween in Salem

Today marks the end of the Halloween countdown, as All Hallows Eve is finally upon us. In fact, if you’re a resident of Salem, today is the day when you have to decide whether you will batten down the hatches and hide in your house to avoid being overrun by tourists or accept the fact that if you can’t beat them, join them. However, if you’re not a resident or you’re a resident who has already accepted his or her fate, you may be trying to figure out exactly what you’re going to do while you’re in the city and/or how you’re going to get into the celebration in the first place. Fortunately, if this is indeed the case, it is important to remember that Halloween in Salem is only as scary as you want it to be, and there are a few things that you can do to make the day more enjoyable:

1. Prepare Yourself for the Mob Scene

Halloween is the biggest celebration of the year in Salem, and with All Hallows Eve on a Friday this year, you should expect there to be in excess of 100,000 people in the downtown area of the city (weather permitting.) To put this into perspective, the population of the city of Salem is approximately 42,500, which means that there will be over twice as many people in the city (if not three times as many people) as there are actually living here. In fact, that figure of 100,000 people doesn’t necessarily include all the people that have chosen to hide in their homes, so if you don’t like crowds, you may want to stay home or find somewhere else to go tonight. However, if you are still brave enough to make your way into the madness, you should expect a significant wait for anything that you want to do. This is because the big, slightly unruly mob that I keep mentioning will want to get into the same attractions, restaurants, and other things that you’re trying to get into as well.

2. Avoid the Traffic and Parking Nightmare

Getting over 100,000 people into a city that typically has 42,500, as you might guess, creates a lot of traffic. In fact, if you’re driving into the city after 4:00 P.M., you should expect to sit in traffic for 1 – 2 hours from the time you reach the highway exit for Salem. This means that you’re going to have a lot of trouble getting into the city, finding a parking space, and getting out of the city again. However, there are a couple of ways that you can avoid these problems.

First, come in early. The traffic in Salem usually escalates around the time that the city closes the roads downtown, which is at 4:00 P.M. this year. As a result, you may be able to avoid a significant amount of traffic, find a parking spot that’s a little further away but cheaper (which is a big deal when a parking spot could cost you $20 to $30), and get out of the city a little faster (from your parking spot closer to the city’s edge) if you’re in the city before 4:00 P.M. Secondly, you could avoid driving into the city altogether. The Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail train or the Salem Ferry will take you right into downtown Salem from Boston and the neighboring communities.

3. Enjoy the Frighteningly Free Activities

In addition to all of the vendors, carnival attractions, haunted houses, museums, and restaurants that Salem typically has to offer during this time of year, there are also a number of events on Halloween that are absolutely free. As a result, you may be able to have a great night without completely emptying your wallet by seeing Samhain rituals performed by actual witches, watching live bands performing in the streets, and topping it all off with some fireworks before you go. For more information on all of the events going on in Salem, please visit the Salem Haunted Happenings website.

Photo Credits

Angry Mob Photo Credit: hans s / Foter / CC BY-ND
Traffic Jam Now Fully Operational Photo Credit: psd / Foter / CC BY
Music by the TOKYO TRAMPS Photo Credit: }{enry / Foter / CC BY