SALEM — It's September in Salem, which can only mean two things.
School is about to start, and the October madness is only a month away.
For the past two years, however, a third item has been added to the list. This is the month that city residents beat a path to the Museum of Science in Boston.
Thanks to the generosity of the Norman H. Read Charitable Trust, Salem residents, for a third straight year, will be admitted free to the museum for the entire month. They can go as often as they like to any exhibit and even the Mugar Omni Theater.
The trust, a longtime city benefactor, is also providing free train rides to Salem residents on consecutive Saturdays, Sept. 10 and 17. The first train ride will be hosted by state Rep. John Keenan and his family and the second by Mayor Kim Driscoll and her family.
The offer is valid only for the 10:38 a.m. trains to North Station on both days.
Both Keenan and Driscoll praised Dr. Nile Albright, a trustee of the Read Trust, for the generous gift.
"This program is a wonderful way to get our students excited about science at the beginning of the school year," the mayor said in a statement, "and it gives parents and children an opportunity to have fun and learn together as a family."
The Read Trust was established in 1985 by Texas oilman Norman Read in honor of his father and grandfather, both of whom made their fortunes in Salem, according to a Read family website. The city of Salem is the sole beneficiary.
The trust sponsors science discovery centers in all city schools, and many other programs and events. September Salem Days at the Museum of Science is one of its latest initiatives.
Norman H. Read was a close friend of Museum of Science founder Bradford Washburn Jr. In 1955, Albright joined Read and Washburn on an expedition to the summit of Mount McKinley in Alaska.
"The donor, Norman H. Read, who loved science, would be pleased to know the entire community of Salem is benefiting from this program," Albright said.
Passes have been mailed to every Salem household. Additional passes are available at City Hall, the Salem Library, and the Park and Recreation Department on Broad Street.
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