SALEM — If you're a fan of the cable show "TV Diner," then you're in luck.
Ageless — and tireless — host Billy Costa and co-star Jenny Johnson are in town today for a series of events to help local businesses and to benefit the North Shore Cancer Walk.
Costa will be at the Salem Waterfront Hotel from 5:30 to 11 p.m. for a "North Shore Mystery Dine Around Dinner." The $75 tickets were sold out to join Costa for cocktails at the hotel's Regatta Pub followed by dinner at a "mystery restaurant," before returning to the hotel for dessert, dancing and a silent auction.
Other guests can get into the after-party at the hotel with proof of "qualified purchases" at participating venues: J. Mode, Treasures Over Time, Urban Elements, Rouge Cosmetics, Cornerstone Books or the Peabody Essex Museum.
Meanwhile, Johnson will be at J. Mode, a women's clothing store on Front Street, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. tonight, where customers will get gifts, wine and food from local restaurants. No ticket is required for this event.
Food II
The secret is out.
The Food Network will air its Lobster Shanty special on Monday, Sept. 27, at 10 p.m.
As we reported awhile back, Food Network star Guy Fieri was at the Shanty for two days in June with a film crew from the cable show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."
As a special treat, CinemaSalem is hosting a free screening that Monday night. The movie theater previously screened the premiere of "What Not To Wear" when that cable show shot a segment in Salem.
Salem's finest
The city got some sad news yesterday.
David Goggin, the former deputy fire chief, died yesterday morning after a brief illness. He was 83.
In recent years, Goggin was a fixture at public meetings, often rising to express an opinion or to share a few facts from his vast storehouse of information about the Fire Department and the city.
He was a gentle man with a warm smile and a legion of friends.
He will be missed.
Farewell 'Fitz'
Mike Fitzgerald, the general manager of the Salem Harbor Station power plant, will retire Sept. 30.
The unexpected news was announced at a North Shore Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday at the Danversport Yacht Club.
"It was just time," he said yesterday.
The 58-year-old Dorchester native with a graduate degree from the University of California Berkeley, ran the Salem plant for 15 years, making him the longest-serving GM in plant history. Over those years, he worked for New England Power, USGen New England (later PG&E Generating) and Dominion.
Although some may see his departure as another sign of the demise of the coal- and oil-fired plant, he denied that.
"Things are pretty settled here and the course is pretty chartered, and, when you leave, you want to leave when things are going well," he said.
Fitzgerald said he intends to pursue "other opportunities" but has no immediate plans. "I want to take a couple of months off and figure it out," he said.
His immediate course, however, is chartered. He became a grandfather a few weeks ago.
Science trip
This is the month that Salem residents can go to the Museum of Science for free.
Tomorrow, residents are invited to join Mayor Kim Driscoll and her family on the 10:38 a.m. train, and ride for free into Boston. Next Saturday, Rep. John Keenan and his family will take the 10:38 a.m. train, also a free ride for Salem residents.
The Norman H. Read Trust is sponsoring September Salem Days at the museum and the two free train rides.
Museum passes were mailed to each Salem household. To obtain additional passes, residents can visit City Hall, the Salem Public Library, and the Salem Parks and Recreation Department. Salem residents must get passes prior to arriving at the museum. They include admission to the museum and the Omni theater.
Segway segue
Juli Lederhaus, general manager of the Hawthorne Hotel, was thrilled to see the story in yesterday's paper about the two young men who want to start a business offering Segway tours of Salem.
She and her husband, Walt, just toured Boston last Sunday on Segways, the two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicles.
"It was a blast!" Lederhaus wrote in an e-mail. "After we got over the initial panic that the training video gave us and got our hands-on lesson, we were fine. And we really enjoyed the entire two hours we spent touring Boston."
Walk in 'hoods postponed
Those interested in walking the Boston-Main Street Corridor on Tuesday night will have to wait. The second field meeting was canceled because of the primary election.
Residents of Salem and Peabody walked the Peabody half of the corridor with city planners and representatives from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council in mid-August.
Information and observations collected during the walks will be used by MAPC to produce a report of recommendations to improve the area. No date has been set yet for the Salem field meeting, but we'll keep you posted.
Red Sox victory
For any who think the Red Sox are losers, think again.
Eastern Bank just announced it is donating $7,500 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem in honor of those winning Red Sox.
Actually, the bank pledged $500 to the Salem club and the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn for every Red Sox victory in August. The team won 15 games, and the clubs each took in $7,500.
Eastern Bank is the official bank of the Boston Red Sox television network.
Salem No. 1
The Boston Parents Paper just announced its annual Family Favorite Awards.
The readers and editors named Salem "best day trip" for 2010.
The magazine said Salem had "ample year-round opportunities for exploring history, art and oceanside adventures."
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