Salem VI: Rebecca's Rising

Fans of Salem who are also fans of paranormal thriller fiction are going to be excited about the new novel by Jack Heath and John Thompson, Salem VI: Rebecca's Rising.  The eBook came out on July 19, and the hardcover is being released in September. 

This novel brings the spirit of Rebecca Nurse back to modern day Salem to help Salem News editor John Andrews solve a modern mystery that has its roots in 17th-century Salem.  Most of the characters in the novel are descendants of people who were condemned during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, including Rebecca Nurse, Ann Putnam, and Giles Corey.  Our 21st-century characters are caught in a modern-day mystery that just might give the faint of heart a few sleepless nights.

There are several familiar spots featured in the novel, including Chestnut Street, Pickering Wharf, Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem Hospital, and Salem State University.  The primary characters even visit the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum to do some research.

This novel, which is a battle of good versus evil set in the historic streets of Salem, is an entertaining and fictitious perspective of Salem's history.  It is the first in a trilogy, and we are interested to see how some of the characters evolve, just as we hope some of the characters get what's coming to them.

You can find more information on Salem VI: Rebecca's Rising at SalemWitchTrilogy.com, including links to download the eBook.  Author Jack Heath has a radio talk show in New Hampshire, and he will be featuring guests from Salem on alternate Wednesday afternoons, between 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM, beginning August 1st.  We will be talking about the book, the Witch Trials, and Salem.  You can stream the show at wtplfm.com, or, if you're in New Hampshire, listen to New Hampshire Today live at 107.7 FM.  Follow Haunted Happenings on Facebook for radio show reminders!



If you are intrigued by Salem VI: Rebecca's Rising, and you want to know more about the history of the Salem Witch Trials and Salem's modern Witch community, we recommend the following resources:

• The Salem Witch Museum FAQ page; 
• The Salem Award Foundation maintains the Salem Witch Trials Memorial;
• Links to documents and Witch Trial documents can be found at SalemWitchTrials.org; and 
• The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilyn Roach is a tremendous work of non-fiction about the Trials;
• To learn more about Salem's Witch community, visit WitchesEducationLeague.org. 

Kane Hodder to return to Salem in October

Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery always does October right by scheduling awesome guests.  Actor and stuntman Kane Hodder will return this year for meet-and-greet and autograph sessions at Count Orlok's. 

Horror fans won't want to miss this opportunity.

If you haven't experienced Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery yet, put it on your to-do lists. It's one of our favorite attractions in Salem, and every year there is a new monster to meet so just because you've been through once doesn't mean you've seen it all! 

Take the Salem Fast Ferry this October!

We love the Salem Ferry's new blue lines, and the fresh paint inside and out.  Broomsticks aside, the ferry is our favorite way to travel between Salem and Boston. 

Visit SalemFerry.com for more information on how you can cruise comfortably and quickly between two of Massachusetts' great ports.

Salem Chamber Haunted Happenings Parade celebrates “World Animal Day”!

The Salem Chamber of Commerce has announced that “World Animal Day” is the theme for the 17^th Annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade on Thursday, October 4^th, 2012.  

World Animal Day is celebrated each year on October the 4th. It started in Florence, Italy in 1931 at a convention of ecologists. On this day, animal life in all its forms is celebrated, and special events are planned on locations all over the globe. The 4th of October was originally chosen for World Animal Day because it is the feast day of Francis of Assisi, a nature lover and patron saint of animals and the environment.  However, World Animal Day has now gone beyond being the celebration of a Christian saint and is today observed by animal-lovers of all beliefs, nationalities and backgrounds. Animal rescue shelters hold fundraising events and open days, wildlife groups organize information displays, schools undertake animal-related project work and individuals and groups of friends or co-workers donate to animal charities or pledge to sponsor a shelter animal.

The choice of costumes for this year’s parade is endless, and schools and businesses are encouraged to expand on the theme’s positive message!

To help ensure the success of this event, the Salem Chamber is looking for financial support. Businesses willing to make a contribution to continue the tradition of keeping the parade exciting, family-friendly, and safe can contact the Salem Chamber of Commerce (www.salem-chamber.org / T.978-744-0004). 

Scary Mary is coming to Salem this October

We love new programs and events, and this one looks like it is going to find a happy home in Salem this October.  Allow me to introduce Scary Mary and the Audio Corsette!

Scary Mary poster art by TallBoy

Here's the story of Scary Mary... 25 years ago, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Mary, a hair metal rocker chick, fell victim to a prank gone wrong resulting in her soul being trapped in an audio casette tape lost over time. This Halloween season, a new local supergroup, Audio Corsette will resurrect her as part of an R-rated, 80's rock horror experience featuring a live show with short horror films from all over the country. Created and directed by Kevin Letourneau and written by Gregory Glenn, 'Scary Mary and the Audio Corsette' stars Jacyn Trembley (JADA), Peter Tentindo (Britannica), Aaron Katz and Callie Lipton (The Dejas).

You can catch Scary Mary at CinemaSalem on these October dates: 

Saturday, October 13, 11 PM

Saturday, October 20, 11 PM

Saturday, October 27, 11 PM

Scary Mary and the Audio Corsette isn't just something to watch - they are looking for your participation!  The production is looking for a wide variety of subjects and styles within the horror genre. Submissions will be juried, selected and announced by Monday, September 3, 2012. Filmmakers who would like to be considered to have their work featured can submit their film online. Deadline is Friday, August 24, 2012.

For more information on the Scary Mary project, visit ScaryMaryLives.com.

Solstice of Souls Ball at the Hawthorne Hotel - Tickets available!

From our friends at the Hawthorne Hotel...

For those of you who want the "real deal" and not electronically generated tickets, we have received the printed Halloween Ball tickets for this year's event, Solstice of Souls, and you can buy them now!

Tickets are $90 each, and are non-refundable.  The event will be on Saturday October 27, doors open at 7:30 pm.


Click here for a Solstice of Souls Ball Fact Sheet.

Celebrate the Fourth in Salem!

Celebrate the Fourth in Salem this year, as our 12th Annual Salem Celebrates the Fourth Pops! Concert and Fireworks Spectacular wows crowds on Derby Wharf.


New this year! Two opening bands will perform on the main stage, beginning at 4:00 PM. 


9:00 AM . . . Reading of the Declaration of Independence on Salem Common.  Neil Chayet, best known for Looking at the Law™, a daily radio feature nationally syndicated by CBS and heard locally on WBZ News Radio 1030 AM,  will recite the words of this historic document.  Salem High School's award-winning a cappella group, Witch Pitch will sing the National Anthem and musical selections by Robert Kendall.


4:00 PM . . . Julie Dougherty & Friends perform a mix of pop/covers, originals, blues & country with Woody Woodward on Bass, Jack O'Soro on Drums, Jim Scoppa on Electric Guitar, and Taylor Armedring on Mandolin, on the Main Stage, Derby Wharf 

Kids' Crafts. Photo: Scott Lanes

4:00 PM . . . Children's Festivities on Central Wharf, until 7:00 PM. Activities, games, contests, prizes, face painting - all FREE! Provided by The Gathering, MeetingHouse Church, First Universalist Society of Salem, and Parents United.  Rita's Italian Ice will be giving away free samples (while supplies last!).

4:00 PM . . . Food Tents open. Purchase hot dogs, fries, fried dough, kettle corn, and more

5:30 PM . . . Britannica performs classic rock featuring guitar and vocals by Ted Solovicos and Peter Tentindo.

7:15 PM . . . Opening Ceremonies at the Main Stage with Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Congressman John Tierney, and National Park Superintendent Michael Quijano-West accompanied by the Salem Veterans Color Guard and Salem Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.   A military flyover by the 104th Fighter Wing from the Barnes Air National Guard unit is also expected.

Conductor Dirk Hillyer. Photo: Scott Lanes

7:30 PM . . . The Hillyer Festival Orchestra POPS Concert on the Main Stage.  The 40-piece Hillyer Festival Orchestra (HFO) promises an exciting program this year commemorating the 200th anniversary of  the War of 1812, the honoring of Old Ironsides, and a 100 year remembering of the Titanic with selections from the movie.  Jazzy dance tunes including "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't got that Swing" by Ellington and "Strike up the Band" by Gershwin, then funny tunes for Tuba featuring terrific tuba player, Mike Milnarik.

A big highlight will be the well-known composer for films, Mason Daring. Mason's FRONTLINE music has been on PBS for 32 years - the longest running PBS show.  Mason Daring will perform some of his best songs on guitar from his latest CD.  One of the best vocalists from Boston will sing a Puccini favorite followed by a 50 year Oscar tribute to the great Henry Mancini, including Peter Gunn, Pink Panther, and others.  Then we finish off picturing Tom Cruise with the Mission Impossible Theme!

Fireworks over Tall Ship Friendship. Photo: Scott Lanes

9:15 PM . . . Fireworks extravaganza accompanied by the Hillyer Festival Orchestra playing The 1812 Overture and other live patriotic songs throughout the entire fireworks display.

Part of the allure of this celebration is its setting.  The first National Historic Site in the National Park System, Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of nine acres of waterfront land and houses a dozen historic structures, including, the Custom House, where famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne worked; and, Derby Wharf, which was used by America's first millionaire Elias Hasket Derby, who made his fortune from this port of call.  Looking out at historic Salem harbor with hundreds of boats moored and the replica of a 1700's sailing vessel, the Friendship, serving as a backdrop, Independence Day is truly felt as you are surrounded by the history that helped us to become an independent nation.

July 4th is the perfect day to spend in historic Salem.  Start off bright and early at Salem Common for the reading of the Declaration of Independence, spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon visiting our historic sites and attractions, dine at one of our many restaurants and then wander down to Derby Wharf for a spectacular concert and fireworks extravaganza.

For more information, visit salem.com or call Salem City Hall at 978-619-5676. For information regarding our mobility impaired/wheelchair seating section, please call 978-619-5676.