Comments on: Salem Old Town Hall http://www.thesaleminsider.com/2009/04/01/salem-old-town-hall/ Insiders guide to food, entertainment & living in Salem Massachusetts for tourists and residents. Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:06:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Nelson Dionne http://www.thesaleminsider.com/2009/04/01/salem-old-town-hall/comment-page-1/#comment-21508 Nelson Dionne Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:11:29 +0000 http://www.thesaleminsider.com/?p=1098#comment-21508 Salem has been a tourist destination at least since the 1850's when the Salem 7 Lowell Railroad provided an easy way for tourists from Lowell to stay at the Lowell island House on what we now call Children's Island. For better or worse, we have been making & marketing Salem history , it's period houses and anything else we thought we could make a dollar on for over 150 years. Salem has been a tourist destination at least since the 1850′s when the Salem 7 Lowell Railroad provided an easy way for tourists from Lowell to stay at the Lowell island House on what we now call Children’s Island. For better or worse, we have been making & marketing Salem history , it’s period houses and anything else we thought we could make a dollar on for over 150 years.

]]> By: christine geiger http://www.thesaleminsider.com/2009/04/01/salem-old-town-hall/comment-page-1/#comment-2760 christine geiger Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:09:38 +0000 http://www.thesaleminsider.com/?p=1098#comment-2760 we did Rebel Shakespeare on the steps here last summer and will be doing it again in July and August. No witches were gimmicked there for sure. http://www.flickr.com/photos/amusings/sets/72157606989905931/ just romeo and juliet. They also do the people vs. bridget bishop here, which is a gordon based "history alive" program written by my friend mark stevick... i like that the location is being actively and historically used. i don't see it as a witch gimmick sort of thing. we did Rebel Shakespeare on the steps here last summer and will be doing it again in July and August. No witches were gimmicked there for sure.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amusings/sets/72157606989905931/

just romeo and juliet.

They also do the people vs. bridget bishop here, which is a gordon based “history alive” program written by my friend mark stevick…

i like that the location is being actively and historically used. i don’t see it as a witch gimmick sort of thing.

]]> By: Glen Hughes http://www.thesaleminsider.com/2009/04/01/salem-old-town-hall/comment-page-1/#comment-2756 Glen Hughes Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:02:29 +0000 http://www.thesaleminsider.com/?p=1098#comment-2756 Chaz, It would appear you are in the minority. I too wish that a Salem based group could run the Old Town Hall but Gordon College is doing a good job so far. I don't agree with your "witch gimmick" assessment as I've seen art shows, belly dance performance, opera, festivals and fairs there. So they are not just banking on the hokey played out witch tourist angle. With the exception of municipal meetings which they probably don't have the lighting, sound and power for (since all that stuff is broadcast on local cable) they are doing much of what you want to see happen there. Chaz, It would appear you are in the minority. I too wish that a Salem based group could run the Old Town Hall but Gordon College is doing a good job so far. I don’t agree with your “witch gimmick” assessment as I’ve seen art shows, belly dance performance, opera, festivals and fairs there. So they are not just banking on the hokey played out witch tourist angle.

With the exception of municipal meetings which they probably don’t have the lighting, sound and power for (since all that stuff is broadcast on local cable) they are doing much of what you want to see happen there.

]]> By: Chaz http://www.thesaleminsider.com/2009/04/01/salem-old-town-hall/comment-page-1/#comment-2755 Chaz Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:49:27 +0000 http://www.thesaleminsider.com/?p=1098#comment-2755 *Sigh* Am I the only one who was a bit disappointed and saddened to see the city give this treasure to a non-Salem based, tourist based business? Everyone is always complaining about how small the City Council chambers are, why not move them to the second floor hall and ask the Salem Arts Association or Main Streets to run a public art gallery, for free, on the first floor? The second floor could have been a public space and a public athenaeum hall for Council meetings, lectures, music. Now it's just another witch gimmick. Permanently. *Sigh* Am I the only one who was a bit disappointed and saddened to see the city give this treasure to a non-Salem based, tourist based business? Everyone is always complaining about how small the City Council chambers are, why not move them to the second floor hall and ask the Salem Arts Association or Main Streets to run a public art gallery, for free, on the first floor? The second floor could have been a public space and a public athenaeum hall for Council meetings, lectures, music. Now it’s just another witch gimmick. Permanently.

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