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October 20, 2008

Music, light display to provide Halloween's grand finale

Chris Cassidy

SALEM — An unusual artistic display of music and light will mark the grand finale of the city’s Halloween celebrations later this month.

The city has hired Somerville-based Visual Design Associates — the company that created an elaborate indoor display at Jordan’s furniture in Reading — to design an eye-catching, end-of-the-night program that will both entertain and send the message to revelers that Halloween night is over.

The display will be set up near the intersection of Washington and Federal streets, near the Tabernacle Church.

Around 10 p.m., the live music and DJ’s scattered throughout the downtown will wrap up for the night and direct crowds to the display on Washington Street.

At 10:30 p.m., the 15-minute artistic program will start. Then, a scaled-back fireworks display will be launched near the North River at 10:45 p.m.

The hope is that both the light show and the fireworks will serve as a grand finale, prompting revelers to hop on the last 11 p.m. train (or jump in their cars) and leave the Witch City for the night.

So what exactly will this artistic show look like?

It involves an 8-foot wall, helium and giant dancing shapes, according to Kate Fox, the executive director of Destination Salem.

It will also be family-friendly, she said.

“It will combine music, light and movement soaring into the night sky,” Fox said. “It’ll be a source of curiosity, we hope.”

The actual display could stretch up to 50 feet in the air.

“It needs to be big, it needs to be seen all up and down Washington Street by thousands of people,” said Bob Russo, director of creative services for VDA. “Hopefully, people will find it entertaining.”

VDA has created displays for corporate meetings, themed retail stores and museum exhibits in places as far away as Alaska, Japan, Hawaii and Europe, Russo said.

Perhaps the most well-known local projects are the Beantown and Mardi Gras displays at Jordan’s furniture stores in Reading and Natick.

The company does have Salem ties. Several employees either worked for or attended Salem State College — many have actually been to Salem during previous Halloweens.

Russo himself once worked at the college’s theater department.

Fox said she’d been approached by residents saying they wanted to see more artistic, creative displays on Halloween night.

The entire finale will cost about $20,000 — money that will be paid for by revenues from the carnival that will operate on Derby Street, Fox said.

“It will provide the public safety cue of ‘OK, the show is over,’” she said.

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