The Pop Culture League has been posting seasonally appropriate things all October but this is the first week where I've had space to fit a topic in!
Here comes Halloween!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
There are certain things that always herald the Halloween season like leaves changing and Halloween merch in stores. For me, there's always one thing that really gets me in the Halloween mood and that's Salem in October. I wasn't able to get there as early or as often as I would have liked this year but I did manage to go this past Sunday.
It was a pretty perfect autumn day: sunny, not too cold but with a slight chill wind. I grabbed a cup of hot cider and took a little walk around downtown to snap a few pics to share the experience. Having done a few of these posts in previous years, it was a little challenging to find new things to share.
There is a pedestrian mall where every weekend all sorts of vendors set up to sell their crafts. If you come to Salem outside of October, you'd maybe see a handful of people in this area.
It was a pretty perfect autumn day: sunny, not too cold but with a slight chill wind. I grabbed a cup of hot cider and took a little walk around downtown to snap a few pics to share the experience. Having done a few of these posts in previous years, it was a little challenging to find new things to share.
There is a pedestrian mall where every weekend all sorts of vendors set up to sell their crafts. If you come to Salem outside of October, you'd maybe see a handful of people in this area.
There's many street performers ranging from an a capella group to a juggling unicyclist to musicians to characters like Frankenstein's monster, a Minion, and Michael Myers who are happy to take a photo with you in exchange for a tip. There is one guy that has been doing this for years called Steve the Vampire. He is amazing.
You'll also come across many costumed visitors of all ages. This is one of the things I love, seeing these people come out during the day to celebrate really gives you a warn fuzzy Halloween feeling.
Seeing this older Dynamic Duo put a huge smile on my face. And what great costumes!
Even pets get in on the fun!
Where else but a convention would you run into Sweetums from the Muppets?
There are all sorts of delicious things to be smelled and tasted!
I saw this house just off of Salem Common. You'll have to view it larger to see the wonderful decorating job they did. See if you can spot the demon clown child in the front door.
During October, there are all kinds of food vendors set up on the Common along with some kiddie rides. They also have a pumpkin decorating contest and show off the entrants.
Although I only spent a couple of hours in Salem, it really helped put me in the Halloween mood. The festive mood all around town is great for lifting your spirits.
You can see more photos from around town in these Flickr albums.
Here's a few more Pop Culture bloggers take on the topic.
You can check out all the participants at Cool and Collected.
Alexis' Universe gets spooky with some decorating.
A sad tale of a Halloween that wasn't from Spyda-Man.
AFB talks about some Halloween tunes.
Salem during Halloween is on my bucket list thanks to all your articles over the years!
ReplyDeleteDepending on how you feel about crowds, earlier in the month is better. If you ever make it up this way, definitely let me know!
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