The three day Salem Willows Seafood Festival returned on July 10-12. The festival included live music and entertainment for all ages. There was a Lobster Roll Eating Competition, fireworks, a Lobster Plunge into the Atlantic and more. There was a Culinary Chef demonstration by Wicked Bites, a Kiddie Land center and the first-ever Salem Willows Seafood Festival that attracted over 15,000 people last year.

The festival was organized by FestEvents of New England and their president, Jude David. The festival took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a portion of admissions went back to support the city of Salem Parks and Recreation Department.

Last weekend the Marblehead Christmas Walk took place and was filled with fun activities for all. As Deb payson, Marblehead Chamber of Commerce executive director said, “It is basically a celebration of Christmas and the holiday spirit. Last year, the streets were packed five to 10 people deep, I’ve never seen so many people in town, it was great.”

As the 44th year of the event, it included four days of activities with more than 100 events. There was a parade, tree lighting, Santa Clause coming by sea and loads of entertainment. The event was organized by the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the chamber’s local business members.

Pawsitively Marblehead started the festivities on Thursday night with a preview party serving wine and cheese. They had a Trunk Show with an Up Country designer dog collars and dog clothing on display.

There was a free trolly on Saturday and Sunday to bring visitors downtown from parking lots farther away. This was sponsored by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and NE Moves Mortgage.

The tree lighting was hosted by the National Grand Bank and the parade was led by the Board of Selectman and Marblehead native US Rep-elect Seth Moulton.

If you love music, you might want to get to the me & thee coffeehouse on December 12th to enjoy two fine performances. Griffin House will be performing, and Connor Garvey will be opening the show.

Doors open at 7:30pm for the 8pm show at the coffeehouse, located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford St.

Here is a brief description of House, as reported by Wicked Local Marblehead, “House was born and raised in Springfield, Ohio. His father worked in a tire shop, and his mother helped place children with foster families. In high school, the athletically gifted House landed a role in a musical and was surprised to learn that he had a natural talent for singing. House bought his first guitar for $100 from a friend, turned down a golf scholarship to Ohio University and instead went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and started to teach himself how to play the guitar and write songs.”
Since 2007, House has been a national headliner and he has opened for artists like Ron Sexsmith, Josh Ritter, John Mellencamp, Mat Kearney and the Cranberries.

For those who attended Tanglewood this summer, you weren’t alone. The Tanglewood attendance rose 4.5% for the summer season that just ended. Officials are saying that there were 332,536 patrons with three sellouts at the 18,000 seat venue when James Taylor came and when there was a John Williams Film Night with the Boston Pops.

Other popular shows included a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a show by the rock group Train.

Tanglewood exceeded the attendance goals that they planned for this summer, according to Managing Director Mark Volpe.

If you love the arts, then this might be just the thing for you. The Marblehead Festival of Arts is putting together its officers and directors for Fiscal Year 2015 and is looking for people who want to serve on the board.

As Robb Macomber, the chairman of the Nominating Committee said,

“[The year] 2015 is a unique year in that we will be producing our 50th Anniversary Arts Festival. We have a real opportunity to not only celebrate our accomplishments, but to begin to shape our future and are looking for strong candidates to be a part of this.”

If you don’t know about the Marblehead Festival of the Arts Inc., it’s a non profit that is composed of area residents who volunteer. The organization fosters artistic events and activities in Marblehead. Make sure you talk to them before August 26th if you’re interested in being involved. Send your replies to secretary@marbleheadfestival.org, including your name, email address or phone number, areas of interest and a little bit about you if you like, and a Festival representative will contact you.

Have fun!

It’s always fun to feature a writer from Massachusetts, and few books are as entertaining as those from Edith Maxwell. Her latest book called “Til Dirt Do Us Part” is another of her local food mysteries. The book takes place on an organic farm run by Cameron Flaherty.

As one review explains,

“Fall harvesting is in full swing when rich, cranky Irene Burr is found dead in neighboring farmer Howard Fisher’s pigsty. Cam, the protagonist with enough zesty appeal to spice up any cozy, is only tangentially affected. The key person of interest, Bobby Burr (Irene’s stepson), rebuilt Cam’s barn after a recent fire in record time — allowing her to continue farming, selling at greenmarkets and distributing produce baskets to subscribers. As the shortening days pass, Cam’s involvement deepens. A threatening note is discovered on her property and her beloved cat goes missing. Burr shows up at her house late at night and in a panic, and just as quickly disappears into the woods. He swears his innocence. Cam has no choice but to defy local authorities and investigate on her own.”

With the summer winding down, it’s time to enjoy at least one more summer read from a great Massachusetts writer.

If you’re looking for activities for your kids this summer, Jungleplex might be just the right place. This is a 60,000 square foot playing space for activities. They offer soccer, martial arts, field hockey and baseball, among others. There is an arcade and a cafe as well.

They offer birthday parties, summer camp programs and more. It’s certainly worth checking out the opportunities and enjoying your time there.

If you love art and want to enjoy a great show, the Marblehead High School’s Senior Art Show is worth a look. Dubbed “Secret Garden” the show opened on Wednesday night, May 14 inside the Abbot Public Library’s Virginia A. Carten Gallery.

The Library’s director, Patti Rogers, and art teacher Pascale Queval have come together for the sixth time to put on the annual show. As Rogers said,

“It’s a win-win opportunity. The students’ achievements and what the faculty brings out in the them gets to be seen by a much larger number of people when the exhibit is in this venue. It also draws people into the library.”

The show will be on display until May 28 and showcases a large array of mixed media.

The many exhibits on display highlight the work that the students have been doing over the years and the growth that they have achieved artistically.