National Park Service – Salem Happenings

Civil War Day: The History of a Country Divided

If you’ve picked up a newspaper lately, you’ve probably already realized that the United States doesn’t always seem so united. In fact, the two party system that we have in the U.S. has been working pretty hard to divide us since the time of George Washington (George Washington actually warned us to avoid political parties in his Farewell Address back in 1796, but no one really heeded his advice.) However, even though there’s no question that Americans have had their differences from the beginning and we certainly have our differences now, there has probably never been a time where our differences were more apparent than during the American Civil War. This is because the Civil War was the bloodiest conflict to take place on American soil since the country’s founding, and it was the only time in the history of the United States where brother regularly fought brother. As a result, it’s important to understand the history behind the Civil War in order put our differences into context and to ensure that we don’t repeat our past mistakes.

Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to learn more about the history of the United States as it relates to the American Civil War, you need look no further than the National Park Service’s Civil War Day. The National Park Service’s Civil War Day, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 31st, 2016 from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Georges Island, will give you the opportunity to see what life was like during the Civil War. This event, through the performances of a talented group of reenactors, will allow you to meet the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment (the first all-African American regiment of the Union Army and one of the first official African-American military units of the U.S. Armed Forces), listen to the stories of a confederate prisoner, learn what it would be like to dance at an authentic Civil War Ball, and watch a baseball game played using the rules that were in use in 1860. For more information on the National Park Service’s Civil War Day, which is free to attend, please visit the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Calendar.

It is important to note that while there is no fee for the program, there is a fee for the ferry to get to Georges Island. The fee for the ferry is currently $17 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 there is no fee for children under the age of 3.

Photo credit: dbnunley via VisualHunt / CC BY

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

A Festival Weekend

The kids may be back in school and the warm weather may be about to disappear (at least a night) but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fun has to end. In fact, now that the kids are back in school, there are a lot of people that are trying to take advantage of the nicer weather while they still can. As a result, this weekend has become sort of a festival weekend with everything from animals to music in the spotlight. And, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy the warm weather before the fall arrives, there’s no better way than to check out some of these festivals:

Animals

1. If you’re a dog fan, you may want to check out Pooch A Palooza. Pooch A Palooza is a dog festival that is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 6, 2014) and 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Sunday (September 7, 2014) at the Topsfield Fairgrounds in Topsfield, MA. This festival features dog contests, dog play areas, dog tricks, food, games, kid’s activities and crafts, music, vendors, and more. For more information on the festival, which is of course dog friendly, please visit the Pooch A Palooza website.

2. If you’re more of a cat fan than a dog fan, you may want to check out the Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival. The Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival is a cat festival that runs from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 6, 2014) at the Ellen M. Gifford Cat Shelter in Brighton, MA. This festival features an “Ask the Vet” session, cat crafts for sale, face painting, food, games, an opportunity to meet some of the shelter cats, and more. Best of all the festival is completely free to attend, and any money that you spend on cat crafts or other items at the festival will go to the cats. For more information on the Gifford Cat Shelter’s Fall Festival, please visit the Gifford Cat Shelter’s event page.

Cultural

1. If you love big colorful parades like the ones you might see during Carnival, the Cambridge Carnival International may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because the Cambridge Carnival International is a parade and street festival that is designed to give you the experience of what Carnival would be like in the Caribbean or Africa without leaving the country. The parade, which starts near the Charles River at River Street and Blackstone Street in Cambridge, MA at 12:30 P.M. on Sunday (September 7, 2014) and ends near MIT, features a number of musicians, dancers, and masqueraders covered in beads, feathers, plumes, jewels, and everything else that you would expect from Carnival. The street festival, which is located in Kendall Square near MIT, will feature arts and crafts, balloon art, DJ’s, face painting, food (including African, Caribbean, Haitian, Indian, Jamaican, and traditional American cuisines), music, and more. For more information on the Cambridge Carnival International, which includes a number of free events, please visit the Cambridge Carnival International website.

Music

1. If you’re a big fan of local bands that have musicians that are actually from the area and not musicians that have been trucked in from somewhere else , the JP Music Festival may be the festival for you. This is because the JP Music Festival requires each of the bands in it to have at least one member that currently lives or works in the Jamaica Plain area. This means that you can expect to hear Bed of Coals, Bowleg Bradford, Cask Mouse, Morris and the East Coast, and a whole bunch of other bands you’ve probably never heard of but will still rock your socks off. For more information on the JP Music Festival, which runs from 12:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. tomorrow at Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain, please visit the JP Music Festival website.

2. If you’re a big fan of local bands, but they don’t have to be that local or that sane, the New England Underground Music Festival may be more to your taste. This is because the New England Underground Music Festival, which runs from 6:00 P.M. today (September 5, 2014) to 12:30 A.M. on Sunday (September 7, 2014) at Cuisine en Locale in Somerville, MA, prides itself on finding and featuring the strangest collection of, as they put it, “weird, insane, beautiful” bands from the New England area. For more information on the New England Underground Festival, please visit the New England Underground Music Festival website.

3. If you’d rather hear someone you’ve actually heard of or at least someone who’s likely to be the next big thing, Boston Calling may be more what you’re looking for. This is because Boston Calling is a large music Festival at the City Hall Plaza in Boston, MA that runs from today (September 5, 2014) at 6:00 P.M. to Sunday (September 7, 2014) at 11:00 P.M that features some well-known bands and some up-and-coming bands that have opened for well-known acts like Fallout Boy. For more information on Boston Calling and/or to order tickets, please visit the Boston Calling Music Festival website.

4. Finally, for those of you out there who love music, but really wouldn’t consider most of the stuff at these other festivals as music, there is always the 35th Annual Banjo and Fiddle Contests at Boarding House Park in Lowell, MA tomorrow (September 6, 2014) from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. This festival of dueling banjos and fiddles will feature a number of kids activities, informal jam sessions, and musicians competing to demonstrate their musical skill in nine categories ranging from young musicians to the Southern Appalachian Old Time style. For more information on the 35th Annual Banjo and Fiddle Contests, please visit the National Park Services’ Lowell Events page.

Photo CreditsCat and Dog Photo Credit: meknits / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Carnival Parade Photo Credit: experience Madeira, Algarve, Brazil !! / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Flaming Guitar Photo Credit: Yuri Samoilov Photo / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)