SALEM — They packed the Hawthorne Hotel last night to say goodbye to Patty MacLeod, who is stepping down after 23 years as director of the Salem Witch Museum.

The crowd of 235 that turned out is a testament to how many friends MacLeod has made, and to her impact in the city.

There have been a lot of big events in Salem over the last few decades, and she has had a hand in most of them. She was co-chairwoman of the Salem Witch Trials Tercentenary in 1992, which drew playwright Arthur Miller, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel and national attention to the city.

She helped organize the opening of the National Park Service Visitor Center in 1995, another major milestone. And she headed the city's Haunted Happenings Committee when that annual festival was getting off the ground.

"Patty is really a genius event planner," said Alison D'Amario, director of education at the Witch Museum.

"When somebody says 'help,' she doesn't do a surface treatment," said Tina Jordan, who will succeed her as museum director. "She rolls up her sleeves and gets right into the meat of the project."

MacLeod, D'Amario and Jordan, who have worked together for more than 20 years, make up a triumvirate that has helped owner Biff Michaud turn the Witch Museum into one of the premier tourist attractions in New England, drawing a few hundred thousand visitors a year.

MacLeod's reach, however, has gone beyond Washington Square. This year, for example, she helped launch Sail Salem, a community boating program. Last year, she helped organize the retirement banquet for outgoing Salem State President Nancy Harrington and the inauguration for incoming President Patricia Meservey.

She also can improvise with the best of them. When a piece of black velvet was missing from a key display at Meservey's inauguration, MacLeod dashed to her car and found a pair of black sweat pants.

"She knows how to make things happen," said Salem State spokeswoman Karen Cady.

There was a long list of speakers last night, headed by Mayor Kim Driscoll and state Rep. John Keenan.

One of MacLeod's lasting contributions is The Salem Award, which has been given out annually since the tercentenary to a leader in the field of human rights. The list of winners is impressive — a hero of the Los Angeles race riots, lawyers who fought the Guantanamo Bay tribunals, the head of the Afghan Women's Fund. The list goes on and on.

"This is her legacy," D'Amario said.

A good deed

Body & Soul Massage and Wellness Center, 60 Washington St., is sponsoring a drive for the St. Joseph Food Pantry's Babies With Blues program, which helps disabled or severely disadvantaged infants. From July 20 to Aug. 3, customers can drop off baby wipes, formula, diapers or other essentials.

The store also will be selling an all-natural milk bath created by Anna Cauble, the daughter of food pantry director Veann Campbell. All proceeds will go to Babies with Blues.