2/8/2008 - 2/14/2008: Salem's So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival

The Salem Chamber of Commerce, Salem Main Streets and local retailers, restaurants and businesses will host the 6th annual Salem's So Sweet, Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, February 8 - 14th. The festival's focus will continue to be on decadent chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures and Valentine's Day retail. The festival is free for all to attend.

The ice sculptures will be on display throughout downtown Salem and Pickering Wharf on Saturday, February 9th & Sunday, February 10th. Local merchants, restaurants and attractions will sponsor the ice Sculptures.

In celebration of the chocolate weekend, many of Salem's finest restaurants will feature special chocolate offerings on their menus, including desserts, special chocolate flavored tea's, cocktails, and inventive sauces. Participating Salem retailers will also take part with in-store promotions, displays and items geared toward chocolate and Valentine's Day.

The festival kicks off with a Chocolate and Wine Tasting, on Friday, February 8th with a chocolate and wine tasting at Hamilton Hall. This luscious tasting event, now in its sixth year, features wine, chocolate and coffee samplings from restaurants, gourmet store and chocolate shops. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Salem Chamber of Commerce, or at the door on the night of the event.

2/9/2008: 4th Annual Health & Wellness Expo

In today's world we need to take care of ourselves now more than ever. People are turning inward for answers and taking responsibility for their own well being - whether it be for their health, home, family, physical fitness, financial security, etc.

The 4th Annual Health & Wellness Expo will take place at the Northshore Mall on Saturday, February 9th, from 10 am - 3 pm. This event offers a unique opportunity to speak directly to consumers about how your product can save them time, money or stress. Take advantage of the incredible Saturday foot traffic of one of New England's largest shopping centers to locate new prospects, generate leads, set up appointments and build customer relationships.

A booth at the Northshore Mall is available to your company during this event for a fraction of the normal rental rate and without the hassle of lease agreements! Call the Salem Chamber for more details. T. 978-744-0004.

11/23/2007: Santa Claus Announces Arrival in Salem

The Salem Chamber of Commerce and Salem Main Streets have been in communication with the North Pole Operations Center coordinating Santa's arrival into Salem. We are very pleased to announce that Santa has received permission to park his sled on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel. With the help of the Salem Fire Department, Santa will descend from the Hawthorne Hotel roof on Friday, November 23, 2007 at 6:00 pm.

Festivities start at Pickering Wharf at 5:30 pm with Carolers from St. Ann's Choir. The Carolers will walk down Derby Street and up Hawthorne Boulevard to the Common where everyone will be on the lookout for Santa's Arrival. The Salem Fire Department Ladder Truck will be ready to help Santa descend from the roof. Mayor Driscoll will welcome Santa to town and his elves will distribute candy to the children. Carolers will guide Santa to the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall into the Museum Place Mall where children can sit on Santa's lap and tell Santa their holiday wishes.

This is a family favorite event that you don't want to miss! Sponsored by the City of Salem, the Salem Chamber of Commerce and Salem Main Streets.

9/10/2007: 12th Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade: The Wizard is coming to town!

The Salem Chamber of Commerce is pleased to again present the 12th Annual Salem Chamber of Commerce Haunted Happenings Grand Parade on Thursday, October 4th, 2007. Many in Salem and the surrounding communities enjoy this beloved event, and both businesses and residents frequently hear from customers and friends that "Everyone Loves the Parade". The Chamber is delighted to bring people of all ages to Downtown Salem to experience this fantastic event and enjoy a Grand Parade unique to Salem as part of the Haunted Happenings events. This year's event will feature the theme "The Wizard of Oz".

08/22/2007: Get ready for the Salem Fall Restaurant Week!

Salem Fall Restaurant Week is set to kick off on September 9th, featuring the best local cuisine at bargain prices. For one week only, participating Salem area restaurants will offer a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $26.26 and lunch for $16.26. The year 1626 being the year Roger Conant founded Salem. (Note that these prices do not include drinks, taxes, or gratuities.)

"People are really looking forward to this," says Rinus Oosthoek, Executive Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. "When else do you get to dine in Salem's finest restaurants for such a great price? Plus, restaurants get a great boost to kick off their fall season."

Restaurant Week will help attract culinary tourists from around the region who might not realize Salem Restaurant Week takes place in a walkable downtown where you can stroll to most of the restaurants. Distribution of promotional materials not only covers the North Shore but downtown Boston as well. In a joint effort with the Salem Ferry, all of Greater Boston Hotels are targeted to bring visitors to Salem for a fun cruise and diner promotion.

Salem Restaurant Week participants include Asahi Japanese Restaurant, Bay Bridge Restaurant, Caffe Graziani, Capt.'s Waterfront Grill & Club, Cilantro, Finz Seafood Restaurant & Grill, Fresh Taste of Asia, Grapevine Restaurant, The Lyceum, Nathaniel's, The Old Spot, Passage to India, Ristorante Gioia, Rockafellas, Strega Restaurant & Lounge, Stromberg's, Tavern on the Green, Thai Place, and Victoria Station.

Bacardi is one of the the sponsors for Restaurant Week, and a special drink menu will be presented that includes drinks based on the very popular Bombay Sapphire.

Restaurant Week started in New York City in the early nineties and now more than 30 major cities in the United States host at least one Restaurant Week a year.

8/1/07: Salem Main Streets roars back to life!

With the support of Mayor Driscoll, the Salem Chamber of Commerce, the Salem Partnership, and the support of financial institutions and real estate companies/developers, Salem Main Streets is roaring back to life. Salem Main Streets was founded in 2001 by the City of Salem and a coalition of downtown businesses and area residents. It is modeled after the highly successful community revitalization program developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A downtown reflects how the community sees itself --- a critical factor in business retention and recruitment efforts. The downtown provides a significant portion of the community's tax base, and is an indispensable shopping and service center, as well as the historic core of the city. It represents a vast amount of public and private investment, City Hall, the Court complex, heritage destinations, major tourist draws, a working waterfront and marina's, and most importantly, provides a sense of community and place.

The Main Street Four-Point Approach™ is a comprehensive strategy that is tailored to meet local needs and opportunities. It encompasses work in four distinct areas - Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization - that are combined to address all of the commercial district's needs.

Organization - Building collaborative partnerships between a broad range of groups, organizations and constituents who need to be involved in the downtown's revitalization.

Promotion - Changing people's attitudes toward the commercial district and marketing the district to residents, investors, visitors and others.

Economic Restructuring - Studying and strengthening the downtown's economic base and working to gradually expand it by helping existing businesses become stronger.

Design - Improving the physical appearance of the commercial district and advocating for the improvement, historic preservation and re-use of existing buildings and architecture. Design improvements include buildings, streets, sidewalks, signs, parking, and all other aspects of the physical environment.

Coincidentally, the four points of the Main Street approach correspond with the four forces of real estate value, which are social, political, physical, and economic. The Salem Chamber of Commerce and Salem Main Streets will work closely together to implement the recommendations put forward by the 2007 Salem Retail Market Study and Action Plan (by Karl F. Seidman Consulting Services). The goal is to revitalize downtown Salem as a vibrant year-round retail, dining and cultural destination. For more information regarding Salem Main Streets, or to volunteer, please contact Jennifer Bell, the new Main Streets manager, at 978-744-0004, or e-mail: salemmainstreets@salem-chamber.org.

5/3/07: Salem Chamber honors "Celebrate Salem" Awards Winners 2006

Businessman of the Year Award: Robert Dionne, Northshore Ambulance

Businesswoman of the Year Award: Wendy Snow-Lang, The Art Corner

New Business of the Year Award: Bill Walker, The Salem Ferry

Long-term Achievement Award: John Drivas, Red's Sandwich Shop

Community Service Award: Paul Van Ness & Bill Collins, CinemaSalem

Excellence in Retail Award: Gil Pili, Cornerstone Books

4/15-20/07: Get ready for the first-ever Salem Restaurant Week

The first ever Salem Restaurant Week is set to kick off on April 15th, featuring the best local cuisine at bargain prices. For six days only, participating Salem area restaurants will offer a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $26.26 and lunch for $16.26. The year 1626 being the year Roger Conant founded Salem. (Note that these prices do not include drinks, taxes, or gratuities.) "People are really looking forward to this," says Rinus Oosthoek, Executive Director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce. "When else do you get to dine in Salem's finest restaurants for such a great price? Plus, restaurants get a great boost to kick off their spring season."
Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, and event organizer the Salem Chamber of Commerce, hope the promotion will get North Shore residents to try some of the many new restaurants that have opened here in the last few years, or to rediscover old favorites. Restaurant Week will also help attract culinary tourists from around the region who might not realize Salem Restaurant Week takes place in a walkable downtown where you can stroll to most of the restaurants. "Restaurant Week gives us another valuable marketing tool to attract visitors to Salem by enticing them with great food and great prices," says Mayor Driscoll. "Visiting a city is as much about the food as it is about the experience, and when travelers feel they are getting a special deal, it may be just the thing that encourages them to visit Salem now instead of later."
To make the Restaurant Week experience even better for visitors from around the region, the Salem Parking Authority will offer discounts for the city parking garages (validated at participating restaurants). For a Salem parking map click here.
Salem Restaurant Week participants include Asahi Japanese Restaurant, Bay Bridge Restaurant, Caffe Graziani, Capt.'s Waterfront Grill & Club, Cilantro, Finz Seafood Restaurant & Grill, Fresh Taste of Asia, The Lyceum, Nathaniel's, The Old Spot, Passage to India, Ristorante Gioia, Rockafellas, Strega Restaurant & Lounge, Stromberg's, Tavern on the Green, Thai Place, and Victoria Station.
Bacardi is the sponsor for Restaurant Week, and a special drink menu will be presented that includes a Sunrise Margarita, a Caramel Apple Martini, a Sapphire French Martini, a Peartini and the Hurricane.