Disney – Salem Happenings

Finding Dory Under the Sea

Disney’s latest animated film, Finding Dory, has been taking theaters by storm for over a month now, and if your kids are just as obsessed with the film as all of the other kids out there, you may be looking for a way for your children to get their Dory fix without taking them to see the movie again. Well, if you would love a relatively inexpensive way to entertain your Dory fans and teach them something at the same time, you may want to check out a program offered by Boston Harbor Now, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the National Park Service entitled “Under the Sea.”

Under the Sea, which will take place on Peddocks Island from 1:30 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. on Sunday (July 24, 2016), will give you and your family the opportunity to learn about all of the things that live under the water in Boston Harbor. This event, which will be conducted by a ranger from the National Park Service, will feature a discussion of the unique marine life that lives in the water around the island and the impact that humans have on these creatures, a guided hands-on exploration of the island’s beaches, and a touch tank that will give you a chance to actually get up close and personal with some of the smaller animals living in the water (tide permitting.) For more information on the Under the Sea program on Peddocks Island, which is free and open to the public, please visit the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Calendar.

Please note that although the program itself is free, you will have to pay for the ferry to get to the island. The ferry currently charges $17 a ticket for adults and children over the age of 12; $12 for active military, college students, and seniors over the age of 65; $10 for children ages 3 to 12; and no fee for children under the age of 3.

Photo credit: Sidneiensis via Visualhunt.com / CC BY

It’s Time for Some Hocus Pocus

I have lived in the area north of Boston for most of my life, but before I lived on the North Shore, I really didn’t know the Witch City all that well. In fact, I had come to Salem a fair amount as a teenager, but usually only for a day here or a day there during Haunted Happenings. As a result, when I first saw the Disney film, Hocus Pocus, I knew it was set in Salem, but I really had no idea how much of the film was actually shot in Salem. I figured some of it probably was, but I really didn’t know how much of it was because, quite frankly, I couldn’t identify most of the landmarks that were used in the film. This, of course, has changed by this point, and I can tell you (with some help from my wife) that most of the film was, in fact, shot in a studio in California. However, there is a good chunk of the film, especially the scenes that take place during the day, that were actually shot in Salem.

This means that if you are familiar with the area you can have some fun identifying the various locations that appear in the film, and if you know absolutely nothing about the area, you can at least enjoy the Salem ambience. Now, if you would like the opportunity to see the film that has become a local favorite and a cult classic throughout the world, you’re in luck because the final film of Magic 106.7’s 2015 Haunted Movie Series is Hocus Pocus. This, of course, is quite fortunate because it means that you can see the tale of three bumbling sisters who are accidently resurrected on Halloween night to spread mischief throughout the world 300 years after they were executed for witchcraft, and you can see it in the city that the film takes place in. Best of all, the film is being shown free of charge, so you won’t have to pay a thing (unless your kids compel you to buy everything in sight.) For more information on the free showing of Hocus Pocus, which is scheduled to take place on Salem Common tomorrow, October 24, 2015 at 8:00 P.M., please visit the Magic 106.7 Haunted Movie Series page.

Photo credit: Alan Light / Foter / CC BY

Leaving the AC’s Cool Breeze

Chances are, you’ve probably heard the phrase “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” somewhere before. In fact, if you have been anywhere on the east coast of the United States this week, you have probably not only heard the phrase, but also realized that truer words have never been spoken. This is because our bodies and the bodies of almost all warm-blooded animals are able to cool themselves better in dry weather than humid weather. As a result, it’s much harder for everyone to cool off when it’s hot and humid, and many of us turn to our air conditioners looking for the relief we seek. The only problem is that you can’t really take your air conditioner everywhere you go unless you’re planning to sit in your car all day, so when it is really gross out like it has been this week, you may have trouble finding the ambition to leave your home. Fortunately, if you and your kids have spent all week in your house praising Robert S. Sherman, the man that invented the first portable, window air conditioner, you’ll be happy to know that there are a number of events this weekend that will let your family get outside and enjoy the nice weather that we’re supposed to have.

First, if you’re looking for a fun but educational way to enjoy the nice weather, you may want to consider a Salem Kids Walking Tour. A Salem Kids Walking Tour is a special tour that is specifically designed to let children, ages 6 and up, experience all of the history and mystery that the Witch City has to offer. These tours, which typically take place on Saturday mornings from 10:45 A.M. to approximately 11:45 A.M., will allow you and your kids to wander the city with a licensed tour guide in full puritan garb while you hear stories about the people, locations, and superstitions that have helped to make the city famous. For more information on the Salem Kids Walking Tours, which begin at Wicked Good Books at 215 Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts, please visit the Salem Kids Tours website or stop by Wicked Good Books.

Secondly, if you think a tour would bore your kids out of their minds or they would be tired of walking after about 15 minutes, you might want to let your kids Play the Day Away at the Lawn on D. The Lawn on D, located at 420 D Street in Boston, is hosting a Play the Day Away event specifically for kids from 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Saturday (July 18, 2015.) This event will allow your kids to try their hand at arts and crafts, play a variety of different games, and enjoy interactive sculptures and works of art from the Boston Children’s Museum, the Museum of Science, and more. For more information on Play the Day Away at the Lawn on D, which is completely free to attend, please visit the Lawn on D’s Calendar of Events page.

Finally, if the only way that you’re going to get your kids away from their computer screen or their TV screen is to stick them in front of an even bigger screen, you may want to head over to the Prudential Center in Boston this weekend. This is because the Prudential Center is showing Frozen as part of the Mix 106.7 Family Film Festival at sundown on Saturday (July 18, 2015) in their South Garden. This event, which begins at approximately 6:00 P.M., will allow you and your family to enjoy a series of children’s activities, giveaways, pre-movie entertainment, and, of course, see the beloved Disney film that tells the tale of the Snow Queen, Elsa, and her sister Anna. For more information on the Mix 106.7 Family Film Festival at the Prudential Center, including upcoming shows, please visit the Prudential Center’s Events page.

Photo credit: Jan Tik / Foter / CC BY

The Back to School Blues (or the Back to School Jamboree?)

If you had any doubt that the end of the summer was rapidly approaching, you could probably remove that doubt with a single look at the events for this weekend. In fact, with children heading back to school in the very near future, most places realize that it’s virtually impossible to get a large number of people at any event. As a result, a lot of event coordinators just seem to give up around this time of year, and there’s not a whole lot going on. However, regardless of whether you’re sad to see the summer go or you’re doing the childless cha-cha in honor of the new school year, there’s still time to have some fun this weekend.

First, if you’ve always wanted to go to Carnival, but you’ve never had the time, money, and/or the inclination to leave the country, you may want to check out the Boston Carnival Parade this weekend. The Boston Carnival Parade is a parade and street festival that is designed to give you the experience of what Carnival would be like in Trinidad without leaving the state of Massachusetts. The parade, which starts on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston, MA at 1:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, August 23, 2014) and ends near the Franklin Park Zoo, features a number of Caribbean musicians, dancers, and masqueraders in costumes that are sure to get your attention. The street festival and food court, which is located right in front of the Franklin Park Zoo, will feature arts and crafts, food (including both Caribbean and traditional American cuisines), music, and more. For more information on the Boston Carnival Parade, which is also known as the Caribbean Festival Parade, please visit the Boston Carnival Village website.

Secondly, if you’re longing for a time not so long ago and not so far away when people took wooden ships onto the open sea, the Antique & Classic Boat Festival in Salem, MA may have exactly what you’re looking for. The Antique & Classic Boat Festival, which runs from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Saturday (August 23, 2014) and 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Sunday (August 24, 2014), will feature artists, a crafts fair, music, a touch tank, a variety of antique and classic ships ranging anywhere from 50 to approximately 200 years old, and more. For more information on the Antique & Classic Boat Festival in Salem, MA, please visit the Antique & Classic Boat Festival website.

Finally, if you’re looking for something to do with your kids and they’re just suckers for a good Disney movie, especially one with a particularly well-known ice queen, the Hatch Shell in Boston will definitely put a smile on their faces tonight. This is because the last movie in this summer’s Free Friday Flicks series, presented by WBZ, is a sing-a-long version of the popular Disney film, Frozen. For more information on this completely free showing of Frozen at the Hatch Shell, which begins at sundown tonight (August 22, 2014), please visit the CBS Boston website.

Photo credit: Jlhopgood / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Friday Fun: Scavenger Hunts, Discounts, and Movies, Oh My!

Are you a big fan of the Wizard of Oz? Are you looking forward to the new Disney movie coming out next weekend, Oz the Great and Powerful? Well, if you are, you may want to head down to Salem, MA tonight because the Witch City is tipping its hat to the fine film that helped bring the idea of a “good witch” into the mainstream. This celebration, which is taking the place of the normal First Friday activities in Salem this month, will include an Oz the Great and Powerful scavenger hunt; dancing; a series of games and other activities to keep your kids busy; and a bunch of special offers, giveaways, and discounts at local restaurants and retailers. All of the fun is scheduled to begin around 5:00 p.m. and is expected to last until approximately 8:00 p.m. tonight, Friday, March 1st. However, the exact times for each of the activities in Salem tonight may vary, so it may be a good idea to check out the event’s website before you go.

If the Wizard of Oz is really not your favorite film or you’re nowhere even remotely close to Salem right now, you may want to check out some of the other films that are playing at your local movie theater this weekend. There are a number of strange, thrilling, and hopefully entertaining movies coming out today and tomorrow, including 21 and Over, Jack the Giant Slayer (which comes in a variety of flavors, including the standard 2D format, 3D format, and IMAX 3D format), The Last Exorcism: Part II, Stoker, and a number of other films.