By Amanda McGregor, Tom Dalton and Chris Cassidy
Although the future of its school is up in the air, the Horace Mann community will come together tomorrow night for the 15th annual Mann Event fundraiser.
Parents, teachers and community members will gather at Victoria Station for a buffet dinner, raffles and a silent auction — all to raise money for Horace Mann Lab School field trips, assemblies, field day, cookouts and more — for this year and next.
"I think you'll see a lot of people coming together," said parent Lisa Murphy, an organizer of the Mann Event and member of the Horace Mann Parent-Teacher Committee.
Earlier this week, school and city officials met with parents and warned them that if the school budget is cut drastically, the city may close Horace Mann.
"It's just a horrible thing to be up against," said Murphy, whose two daughters attend the school. "People are already in motion, writing letters and starting groups. We will come together to fight the cause ..."
Murphy said local businesses were magnanimous in their donations to the Mann Event, giving more than 150 raffle and silent auction items to the school's largest annual fundraiser. Items include gift baskets, gift cards to museums and restaurants, circus tickets and more.
For those who want to show their support, scoop up some prizes and have some fun, the Mann Event will run from 6 to 11 p.m. tomorrow at Victoria Station at Pickering Wharf. A buffet dinner will be served at 7 p.m., which is included in a $25 ticket.
"The teachers are brilliant, the principals have always been very supportive and the parents are really involved," Murphy said of Horace Mann. "My children love it there."
Setting sail
Two of the city's favorite people are getting married.
Russ Vickers, the owner of Hawthorne Cove Marina, and Patty MacLeod of the Salem Witch Museum will get hitched March 28 in a private ceremony on a beach in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
From there, the two experienced sailors — she's active with Sail Salem — head to the British Virgin Islands, where they'll hop on a 37-foot sailboat and spend eight days at sea.
A funny thing happened to the couple while getting ready for the big day. As MacLeod was cleaning out her attic this week in preparation for moving, she found a plaque she was given years ago by the Salem Partnership. It was signed by Annie Harris, the Partnership's former executive director, and by Vickers, the former chairman.
"Now don't take offense," Vickers told her, "but I can't remember signing it or giving it out."
They had such a good laugh over the plaque they decided to keep it. "We're going to put that up somewhere prominent in the house," Vickers said.
Court visit
That woman you saw Monday morning traipsing about the polluted Salem Suede factory site on Flint Street was none other than Karyn Faith Scheier, chief justice of the Massachusetts Land Court.
She was here to check out the scene before the start of a trial the next day in Boston on an appeal filed by neighbors over a proposed 130-apartment complex that three local developers want to build there.
Those men walking with the judge were lawyers in the case — Bill Quinn and Scott Grover of Salem, who represent the developers, and Ed Patten, the neighbors' lawyer.
Park Place
Ward 2 Councilor Mike Sosnowski found himself in something of a parking pickle.
He has lobbied for years to secure a dozen parking spaces on the Salem Jail project site for residents of two adjacent senior housing complexes. Those elderly residents have parked for a long time in a small lot at the closed jail site, a spot they are expected to lose now that the 1813 jail is being turned into apartments.
In 2005, the City Council even passed a resolution asking the Salem Redevelopment Authority to consider the parking plan of each jail redevelopment proposal to make sure they addressed downtown parking problems.
This week, however, Sosnowski and other councilors came out strongly against a proposal by the developer, New Boston Ventures, to put 13 parking spaces on a landscaped area in front of the jail. The proposed parking was for a restaurant the developer hopes to lease inside the jail, spaces that several people said could be used during the day by seniors.
To be fair, a few residents of the elderly housing also spoke out against the parking plan — which was proposed on public land, not private — along with many neighbors who love the new "pocket park" and don't want it carved up for parking.
The councilors felt this was just the wrong spot for a parking lot.
Parking II
A funny thing happened at Tuesday night's City Council committee meeting on the Salem Jail parking plan.
When audience members were given a chance to speak, several said they came to the meeting opposed to a proposed 39-space parking lot but changed their minds when the developer lowered the total to 13. They called it a "reasonable compromise."
That's when Mary Whitney of Essex Steet stood up and delivered an impassioned plea to spare the small park along Bridge Street. "How much green space are we giving up in a city that has very little?" she asked.
Suddenly, the tide seemed to turn. One resident after another spoke out against it. By the end of the meeting, the parking plan was dead.
Maybe this woman has a future in politics.
Women's retreat
Take a free massage, some yoga, throw in a little consignment shopping, and call it a day.
A local parent group will host a Women's Boutique and Retreat tomorrow and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salem YMCA to raise money for handicapped-accessible flooring in a new playground on the Salem Common.
"This collaborative effort will shed light on some of what our neighborhood YMCA has to offer," said Parents United of Salem President Sarah Gaddipati, "and benefit the children who come and play on the new playground."
Already, the nonprofit group has raised more than $30,000 to replace the aging playground on the Common. This weekend marks the final push to raise $10,000 for the rubber flooring. The city is contributing $50,000 to the playground.
"(The flooring) will make the playground accessible to those with disabilities," said Doug Bollen, director of parks, recreation and community services, "and make it a unique playground for children in Salem."
Organizers plan to hold a community build in the spring.
"... We are excited for the installation of our new playground equipment," said Jennifer Santo, playground committee co-chairwoman. "It's been a long road and an educational experience."
For more information or to donate, visit parentsunitedof salem.org.
The Big Chili
Fred Gaudreault won the "Chili Bowl Cook Off" run by the ladies auxiliary of the Salem Knights of Columbus. His name will go on the club's "wall of fame."
Not to be outdone, Linda Hios took first place in the "Cornbread Battle."
Having a ball
Costumed revelers enjoyed an evening of early 19th-century dance, food and music last Saturday in celebration of the Salem Athenaeum's 200th anniversary, held at 1805 Hamilton Hall on Chestnut Street.
"It was so much fun to be dancing early 19th-century dances in the hall that was built specially for that purpose by the citizens of Salem," said Emily Murphy, the historian at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site who organized the dances at the assembly.
Close to 200 people attended the Bicentennial Assembly, many of whom wore 1810-period dress (gowns for women and cutaway jackets and britches for men). Others dressed in black tie.
The guests enjoyed period food like English kedgeree (a curry dish with fish and eggs) and potato pie.
"The food was incredible," Murphy said.
There was even a card room downstairs.
"The original assemblies would have had a room for card games," Murphy said. "We had three full tables of card players. It was a wonderful evening."
