October carnival in Salem, MA is back on!

This announcement hit my emails this morning!! Guys….the carnival is back on! Not entirely as it has been in years past, but we have some progress.

According to Salem News:
“Halloween will have a carnival this year, despite fierce neighborhood opposition to a new proposal delivered on the 11th hour.

The City Council approved a carnival at the corner of Federal and Washington streets, which will require the shutdown of part of Federal Street and one lane of Washington Street heading southbound right at the intersection. The passage came in a divisive 6-5 vote.

At the same time, councilors unanimously approved tweaks to a Salem Common ban on carnivals. The change allows the City Council to approve what it legally describes as “a children’s fair” held during October, on a case-by-case basis. That approval opens the door for the continuation of a kiddie carnival run by the Salem Common Neighborhood Association for the past five years.

City leaders have struggled with finding a place for the Haunted Happenings carnival after City Hall bought a parking lot on Derby Street used for the event since 2007. Many have viewed the carnival as a critical part of the Haunted Happenings, for its ability to attract families and concentrate crowds of revelers in a well-lit, highly visible area. But officials haven’t been able to agree on a suitable site for it.”

“An initial pitch to put it on Riley Plaza failed, and a second effort to put it on the Salem Common was dropped after opposition from neighbors.

Councilors first discussed an order from Ward 2 City Councilor Christine Madore to give the City Council the power to approve carnivals on the Common, which was effectively the proposal that was dropped before it could be filed with the City Council. She explained her intention was to give support to the Salem Common Neighborhood Association’s event.

Ultimately, Madore’s proposal was amended unanimously to focus explicitly on children’s events held during the month of October, with the approval of the City Council. That amended order then passed unanimously. Ordinance changes require second passage, and the City Council will take that up on Thursday, Oct. 11, giving it the power to approve the association’s event. Councilors had already permitted the Kids Fun Fest without use of any mechanical rides.

Should councilors grant that approval, the Association will be able to add mechanical rides.

Late in the meeting, the councilors debated the Federal Street proposal, which was cut down in size on account of mechanic rides being added to the kiddie carnival at the Common. With that, rides planned for parking next to the old District Court building were removed.

“I’m supporting this for one very simple reason,” Ward 5 City Councilor Josh Turiel said. “The chief of police, who I respect greatly, believes this is an important part of the crowd control and crowd management strategy the city uses. I’d rather not put it in this place, but we’re out of other places to do it, and I hope next year we have other — and better — options.”

Check out the article in full length at the link above. Enjoy!! <3