Tag Archives: dancing

September 19, 2026

2026 Vintage Lawn Party (Salem, MA)

Date Of Event: September 12, 2026 (usually held annually the weekend after Labor Day)

Location: Salem Commons, Salem, MA

Universally Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Summary: People dressed in their best vintage wear as they listened to, or danced to, swing music and posed for photos by the various antique cars.

Swing music, antique cars and snazzy dressers were in abundance last Saturday at the annual Vintage Lawn Party in Salem, MA.

People dressed to the nines in their best vintage clothing.

And, of course, they danced to the swinging sounds of Annie and the Furtrappers.

As someone with two left feet, I always appreciate the dance moves on display at this event.

One of the main attractions at the party are the cars. A variety of antique cars were featured at the event. In fact, I think that is what attracted the attention of most of the onlookers and got their interest.

This guy didn’t just bring his vehicle. He also brought some old slot machines that were previously used in local speakeasys during the 1930s They are are also still in working order!

Annie and the Furtrappers provided the entertainment for the event. They have been the musical performers every year I have attended and they always get the crowd moving.

There were also vendors selling swag and other wares from that era. Some of the vintage clothing being sold were over 100 years old!

There were games like croquet, bocce and other games popular at that time, and still to this day. But, this visitor found another way to have fun and travel.

You never know who’s going to show up at these events. It is Salem, after all.

Who knew Mike was such a classic car aficionado. He did drive quite a bit in the first and best Halloween movie, though.

The party was for the birds. Literally. Again, it’s Salem.

This busker, Persephoneo is one of the performers who pose for photos and entertain people on Essex St,

Dogs are also welcome at the vintage party!

Orion wore his best bowtie to the event.

Fergus McWolfstein (also known as Gus) had a fun time at the party!

As the annual lawn party becomes more popular, it’s great to see more people attend! But, what really makes me happy is seeing the regulars who come every year. It’s great seeing familiar faces and reconnecting with people. I also wonder about and miss some of the regulars who can no longer attend. Below are some of the regulars I have photographed over the years.

9 Comments | tags: dancing, events, Massachusetts, music, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, Salem, travel, vintage lawn party | posted in dancing, Massachussetts, musicians, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Salem, Uncategorized, vintage lawn party

August 22, 2025

2025 Salem Arts Festival Part I (Salem, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: June 6-8

Location: Salem, MA

Summary: Artists from all over the Salem (MA) area showed off their artistic abilities at the 17th annual Salem Arts Festival.

As summer is winding down, sadly, it’s true, I thought it was the perfect time to post photos from the annual Salem Arts Festival in June of this year! Ok, I should have posted them earlier. But, it’s been a busy summer! And I plan to show off more photos from my busy summer soon!

The 17th annual arts festival featured art and artists from all over the Salem, MA, area.

The theme for this year’s festival was Hissstory. As the sign below states, the hissstory project repurposed banners from previous events in the city. These repurposed parts were used to form a very long snake! Citizens of Salem were encouraged to create their segments of the snake which was displayed on Front St; the staging area for the performers. Recycling, or repurposing, at its finest.

The festival ran from June 6th to 8th. But, because of the rainy weather, I only attended on the 8th of June.

Since there was so much art and entertainment at the festival, I have decided to post this blog post in 2 parts. This post will include the popular “Mural Slam” as well as some of the dancers and musicians at the festival.

Without a doubt, the main event of the festival is the mural slam. Twelve artists painted uniquely creative works of art.

The murals weren’t finished until later in the day after I left. So, I stopped by the next weekend to photograph them when they were done. Plus it’s fun seeing how some of the murals evolved. At least it’s fun for me. Maybe I need to get out more.

Paige Doyle-Elwell

Howie Green

Colomba Klenner

Jess “Pickles” Clark

Max Pro

Daphne Powers

Bruce Orr

Naijah Nine

Caoin O’Durgy

Sarah Egan

Jennifer Wackerle

Bobbie Smith

There were additional murals and other works of art that were not part of the mural slam. The elephant was made by Polyvios Christoforos for the 2018 Salem, MA, mural slam. Bonus points if you can name all of the 4 buildings in the painting with the homes.

But, the art wasn’t just the murals and in the old town hall. There were also musicians and dancers. Matt Savage Groove Experiment kicked off the festivities on the second day of the festival. Matt is the keyboard player and composer for the band.

One of the more interesting and creative parts of the festival were the dancers. There were tap dancers.

But, the most interesting dancers were the interpretative dancers.

I hope you join me in part 2 of my blog post from this event which I will post soon!

17 Comments | tags: art, dancers, dancing, festival, festivals, fun, Massachusetts, music, New England, photographs, Photography, Salem, street-art, travel | posted in art, Massachusetts, murals, musicians, New England, Salem, Salem Arts Festival, travel, Uncategorized

September 20, 2024

6th Annual Salem Vintage Lawn Party (Salem, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: September 14, 2024

Location: Salem Commons , North Washington Square, Salem, MA (35 minutes northeast of Boston, MA)

Cost: Free

Dog Friendly: Yes

Universally Accessible: Yes

Summary: Salem Commons transformed into the days of the 1920s for a very special event.

It was a swinging good time last weekend at Salem Commons.

For the past 6 years, the Salem community Neighborhood Association has hosted the Vintage Lawn Party. The party included dancing, antique cars, music and vendors selling all things vintage.

On my way to the event, I noticed this sky writer. Only in Salem!

While dressing up for the event is not required, it is encouraged and appreciated! Many people came dressed up in their best vintage wear! In fact, it seems like each year more guests decide to don their best attire. I used some special settings such as black and white and sepia to give some of the photos an old timey feel.

Annie and the Fur Traders kept the people dancing with their swinging sounds.

And, of course, there was dancing.

If dancing isn’t your thing, there were some cool cars to check out. In previous years, there was only one or two cars at the party. But, over time as word about the party spread, more and more cars began to show up. I love the curves, shape and sleekness of the cars.

This 1966 Excalibur has a special connection to Salem. It was the very same car used in the Bewitched episodes filmed in Salem, MA. The owner of the vehicle, “Sid” posed with his car.