Salem MA Zombie Walk

Salem State College is participating in  “Thrill The World“, a 25th anniversary commemorative event celebrating Michael Jackson’s Thriller – perhaps one of the best videos of all time.  If you want to participate all you need to do is learn the dance, dress like a zombie and head over to Veterans Hall on the SSC campus Saturday October 25th at noon. More info is available on their website. Just to get you in the mood here are 1500 Philippino Prisoners busting out the moves.

If organized zombie dances aren’t your thing you might want to check out round 2 of the Zombie Walk.

On November 1st after the crazyness has died down a bit a second Zombie walk will commence.  Leaving from Collins Cove and making its way to Cinema Salem where there will be a special showing of Die You Zombie Bastards. As many Salem Insiders know this film was writen by a Salem State professor and shot locally.

Oh and if you want to see a few more pictures from the first Zombie walk in Salem you can head over to our Flickr page.

Salem Literary Festival 2008 – Inspiration for writers and setting for classic and contemporary literature, celebrates its passion for all things literary in the 2008 Salem Literary Festival. The festival will start Friday night from 5-7pm at the Old Town Hall.  Get more info on their website at salemlitfest.com.

Callahan Family  Fundraiser – Two weeks ago over at the Gulu you helped raise over $11,000 for the Jocelyn Callahan fundraiser with the money slated to build a fence in the hopes a similar tragedy can be avoided.  It turns out that the city has already funded the building of a fence with construction to begin shortly.  The Callahan family is consitering putting that money to good use in the form of a scholarship.  This Sunday September 14th Dodge Street will be hosting an all day fundraiser for the family.  Swing by for some great music, stories and to put a few dollars to good work.

Callahan fundraiser at Dodge Street

Music

Friday September 12th

• Alanna Manning (6-9pm jazz) Acid Foley (10pm rock)  @ Bangkok Paradise
• Demons Alley, Two Saints, Red Invasion (rock) @ Dodge Street
• Los Sugar Kings (mambo-salsa dance party 9:30pm) @ Edgewater Cafe
• Dj Seth (indie, 80′s pop, alternative 8pm) @ Gulu Gulu
• Dave Retros (rock 8pm) @ The Lobster Shanty
• Traditional Irish Music (6-9pm) DJ Lost Daze (dance, pop, hip-hop 10pm) @ O’Neill’s
• Search Party (dance, rock, pop, 80′s) @ Rockafellas
• Matt Tentindo (singer / guitar) @ Spirit’s at 300 Derby
• mamadou @ (8-11:30pm) Strombergs

Saturday September 13th

• Fran  & Bobby Tyler (6-9pm jazz) Playing with Fire (10pm rock) @ Bangkok Paradise
• Break for Moose, Guided by Wires (rock) @ Dodge Street
• DJ Zati (10pm) @ Fresh Taste of Asia
• 2nd Saturday Bluegrass Jam (2:30-5:30pm)  Jo Henly (country, rock, pop 8pm) @ Gulu Gulu
• TBD @ The Lobster Shanty
• Traditional Irish Music (6-9pm) DJ Cee Block (dance, pop, hip-hop 10pm) @ O’Neill’s
• Open Bar Band (dance, rock, pop, 80’s) @ Rockafellas
• dis n’ dat @ (8-11:30pm) Strombergs

Movies

Cinema Salem will be showing:

Rocky Horror Picture Show (R)
Friday 11:55PM

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Burn After Reading (R)
Friday at 5:00, 7:30 and 10:00
Saturday at 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:40 and 9:50
Sunday at 12:30, 2:45, 5:00 and 7:40

The Women (PG-13)
Friday at 4:45, 7:15 and 9:45
Saturday at 11:15 AM, 1:45, 4:15, 7:00 and 9:30
Sunday at 11:15 AM, 1:45, 4:15 and 7:00

Tropic Thunder (R)
Friday at 4:10, 6:40, and 9:00
Saturday at 11:45 AM, 2:10, 4:35, 7:20 and 9:40
Sunday at 11:45 AM, 2:10, 4:35 and 7:20

Insider Picks

I say this all the time but if you haven’t checked out Rocky Horror here in Salem get your butt over there Friday night. If Rocky isn’t your thing you can’t go wrong tonight at Gulu-Gulu,  DJ Seth is always a house favorite.  Saturday in Salem is all about the rump shakin’ so it’s off to see Search Party at Rockafellas and sing cover songs at the top of our lungs.  Sunday swing by Dodge Street any time after 1PM for the Callahan Family benefit, its a worty cause.

TheSalemInsider.com Photo Contest – Contest deadline is Sunday at 11:59pm get all the details including info on our great prize pack here.

Mayors Night Out – We ran into her honor the other night having an Italian Ice and she reminded us to join her Friday from 5 -7 for some drinks and apps as she kicks off Heritage Days

Heritage Days - Tons of activities going on through out the city.  Check out their complete listing here.

Salem Arts Association and Aepril Schaile present The ART of Bellydance -  Saturday, August 2nd from 1pm to 2pm on Artists Row

Music

Friday August 1st

• * Entrain (rock, blues, calypso, zydeco, jazz and funk) free – @ Derby Wharf by the Friendship
• TBA @ Bangkok Paradise
• Demons Alley / Sins of America (rock) @ Dodge Street
• Los Sugar Kings (mambo-salsa dance party 9:30pm) @ Edgewater Cafe
• DJ Ondrej! (house, trance 8pm) @ Gulu Gulu
• Three Toad Sloth (rock 8pm) @ The Lobster Shanty
• Tom Pittman @ The Lyceum
• Traditional Irish Music (6-9pm) DJ Lost Daze (dance, pop, hip-hop 10pm) @ O’Neill’s
• The Spinz (dance, rock, pop, 80′s) @ Rockafellas
• Matt Tentindo (singer / guitar) @ Spirit’s at 300 Derby
• Night Owls Band @ (8-11:30pm) Strombergs

Saturday August 2nd

• TBA @ Bangkok Paradise
• Taboot  (Phish cover band) @ Dodge Street
• DJ Zati (10pm) @ Fresh Taste of Asia
• DJ John (8pm) @ Gulu Gulu
• Lee Harvey @ The Lobster Shanty
• The Merge  @ The Lyceum
• Traditional Irish Music (6-9pm) DJ Cee Block (dance, pop, hip-hop 10pm) @ O’Neill’s
• New Life  (dance, rock, pop, 80’s) @ Rockafellas
• Mystafine @ (8-11:30pm) Strombergs

Movies

Cinema Salem will be showing:

The Mummy: Tomb of the dragon emperor (PG-13)
Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 12:05, 2:30, 5:00,  7:30 and 9:50

The Dark Knight (PG-13)
Friday, Saturday & Sunday at  11:45 AM, 3:15, 6:45 and 10:00

X-Files: I want to believe (PG-13)
Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 11:30 AM, 2:00, 4:20, 7:00 and 9:20

Insider Picks

You know how we roll over here, if it’s free it’s for me.  So Friday take yourself down to the Wharf and check out Entrain – you have nothig to loose it’s free and it’s early. That gives you plenty of time to grab some dinner and check out The Spinz at Rockafellas.  We’ve heard varing opinions of them (if you know something we don’t drop us a comment) so get in before they charge a cover and if it sucks head to the Shanty to enjoy the good weather and fun tunes put down by Three Toad Sloth.  Saturday if the weather is agreeable, enjoy some of what Heratage Days has to offer then go visit our friend DJ Cee Block for some Saturday night booty shakin.

The Salem Beer Works
278 Derby Street
978.745.BEER

Every once in a while for a variety of reasons we may go back to a place previously reviewed. Today we hit Salem Beer Works again. They were great in accommodating a large party that wanted both food and drinks somewhere they could watch the game – all with just a few minutes notice.

Our party consisted of vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores with a large age range. There was something for everyone. The restaurant is well stocked with large screen TVs so you can comfortably watch whichever sporting event is on at the time from pretty much every seat in the house. The layout is comfortable enough to handle parents that have strollers or the mots rotund of tourists looking to eat their weight in wings.

Our waitress was attentive. Great laid back / casual dining experience, especially for large groups and even for families.
I had fun!
-CK

Beer Works changes up both their food and beer menu’s on a seasonal basis. One constant you must try are the fried pickles. Don’t debate the merits of frying a pickle just order it and enjoy. For an entree, I went with the meatloaf sandwich. Perhaps the best meatloaf sandwich I’ve ever had! Big slab of moist loaf with a little sauce on it between two lightly toasted buns, so delicious.

Others chose the garden burger, crunchy chicken sandwich, downtown crossing burger (that should have been called a MONSTER burger it’s more than 1/2 lb), meat loaf dinner with mashed potato’s (this is a crowd pleaser), grilled ceasar salad, and the turkey tips. Everyone was pleased with their meals.

If you have a vegetarian or vegan in your party its a great place to go. Alot of the menu has non-vegetarian friendly items offered vegetarian for a few bucks cheaper than the original price. FRIIIED PICCCKLES!! Also, huuuge portions.
-Sara

Since spring is just about here you can count on some new lighter brews from the Salem Beerworks. Many of the people in our group had never been to Beer Works before and were interested in trying a bunch of beer. Luckily you can get a beer sampler of your choice. We tasted the North Shore Light, nut brown ale, Black Bat stout, Bunker Hill Blueberry ale, Haymarket Hefe Weizen, and Pumpkinhead ale. With microbrews having vastly different flavors you wont please everybody with each beer, but there are always a few standouts.

Food quality belies the typical sports bar layout you get on initially seeing the place. Easily seats a large group which is great. All in all, great place to get some decent food and a good beer.
-T.I.

Unlike our usual reviews the following scores were compiled from a survey given to everyone in our group that day.

Service: A-
Atmosphere: B
Food: B
Beer: A
Menu Choices: A-
Price / Value: B
Overall: B

The photo is a bit out of date but a new one is on the way @%*# digital camera

Calling themselves a “coffee shop” is an understatement. Nick’s serves up an affordable breakfast and lunch in a quaint atmosphere. The restaurant seats about 40 people but I’ve never seen it full. That means there is no lines and no waiting. The staff is pleasant and doesn’t rush you (or themselves).

I tried a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled banana nut muffin and coffee. The eggs and coffee didn’t knock my socks off but the bacon was thick and crispy and muffin was hot buttered and perfectly golden brown. One of the best things about my trip to Nick’s was the affordable price. Their most expensive breakfast plate (loaded with pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast and juice) is just about $6 everything else is $4 or under. All lunch sandwiches are under priced under $6 .

Located on Church St. across from the Lyceum, Nick’s is centrally located. They keep unique hours 6am – 3pm Monday through Friday and 7am – 1pm Saturday and Sunday, so keep your focus on breakfast. This is a great spot for the frugal local or tourist that doesn’t have time to wait around and still wants a solid meal.

Portions: B
Service: C
Atmosphere: C
Price: A
Overall: B-