2008 Woodie Awards
Events in Salem this week
Miriam Clithero and Nicole Egidio
Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: Lifestyle
If you've never been to Salem, site of the historic Salem Witch Trials of 1692, there may not be a more magical time to go than in October. The annual Haunted Happenings festival (www.hauntedhappenings.org), continuing through Monday, features all sorts of enchanting entertainment, from nightly ghost hunts to séances to costume balls complete with cash prizes.
The Festival of the Dead (www.festivalofthedead.com) also has a number of events throughout October, most notably The Vampires' Masquerade Ball, which is welcoming back Countess Bathoria, who claims she was born in 1574. The event is held in The Lyceum Restaurant and will offer "blood ceremonies," gothic music, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. A cash prize will be given for the most provocative costume. The Ball costs a hefty $95, however, so the Countess's show should be pretty mind-blowing.
Other attractions in town include:
•The Haunted City features actors performing scary stories from the 17th, 18th and 19th century in some of Salem's oldest buildings, according to the 2005 Haunted Happenings Guide. Tickets are $10 plus a $2 surcharge if purchased after 6 p.m. on the night of performance. The shows are held on Oct. 28 and 29 between 6 and 10 p.m. and guests can stay for as many acts as they want.
•For a full package of fun, there are combo passes available for the Pirate Museum (www.piratemuseum.com), the Witch Dungeon Museum (www.witchdungeon.com) and Witch History Museum (www.witchhhistorymuseum.com).
•The Salem Witch Museum (tickets $6.50) educates visitors on the subtler aspects of this cultural phenomenon, such as the evolution of the word "witch."
Another exhibit examines a theory for why witch hunts happen ("fear plus trigger equals scapegoat"). It links Salem's historical persecution of "witches" to the internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, former Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist accusations during the 1950s and the demonizing of the gay community in the 1980s, which was at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic.
The Festival of the Dead (www.festivalofthedead.com) also has a number of events throughout October, most notably The Vampires' Masquerade Ball, which is welcoming back Countess Bathoria, who claims she was born in 1574. The event is held in The Lyceum Restaurant and will offer "blood ceremonies," gothic music, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. A cash prize will be given for the most provocative costume. The Ball costs a hefty $95, however, so the Countess's show should be pretty mind-blowing.
Other attractions in town include:
•The Haunted City features actors performing scary stories from the 17th, 18th and 19th century in some of Salem's oldest buildings, according to the 2005 Haunted Happenings Guide. Tickets are $10 plus a $2 surcharge if purchased after 6 p.m. on the night of performance. The shows are held on Oct. 28 and 29 between 6 and 10 p.m. and guests can stay for as many acts as they want.
•For a full package of fun, there are combo passes available for the Pirate Museum (www.piratemuseum.com), the Witch Dungeon Museum (www.witchdungeon.com) and Witch History Museum (www.witchhhistorymuseum.com).
•The Salem Witch Museum (tickets $6.50) educates visitors on the subtler aspects of this cultural phenomenon, such as the evolution of the word "witch."
Another exhibit examines a theory for why witch hunts happen ("fear plus trigger equals scapegoat"). It links Salem's historical persecution of "witches" to the internment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, former Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist accusations during the 1950s and the demonizing of the gay community in the 1980s, which was at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic.