DANVERS — Tens of thousands of North Shore residents will flock to Danvers on July 3 for the annual Independence Day blowout, but there will be no shortage of activities for all ages in the two-week-long Danvers Family Festival leading up to the big day.
BEVERLY — Lobsters, games, music and fireworks have been the staples of Beverly Homecoming for the last four decades.
Those ingredients will be as prevalent as ever for the 42nd annual Homecoming, but this year the 10-day festival will add patriotism to the mix.
SALEM — There are the acres of shade thanks to the giant willow trees, the sounds of children laughing, the sights of young couples (both young and old) strolling along the paths aimlessly, the views worthy of a painting and, of course, the food.
PEABODY — The International Festival started as a modest tribute to Peabody's mixed ethnic roots, but at 25 years the event embodies so much more.
Former Mayor Peter Torigian started the event in 1983 and it's grown into a citywide reunion, a food lover's haven and the place to be on an early fall day.
SALEM — In a city known for attracting tourists from around the world, Salem Heritage Days is one of the few festivals in the Witch City designed for locals.
For 10 days this summer (Aug. 1-10), the city will host concerts, games and kids events with just about everything priced affordably.
TOPSFIELD — For the last 40 years, Topsfield's Strawberry Festival has grown and grown some more, never leaving its roots as a Topsfield Historical Society fundraiser but becoming part of the fabric of town.
SALEM — It's hard to imagine a better escape from the summer heat than the North and South Pole. Since that's not practical, how about the Peabody Essex Museum?
"Polar Attractions," an exhibit on the Arctic and Antarctic, opens June 28 in the museum's Art & Nature Center and runs through next summer.
IPSWICH — The date for one of the most popular summer events on the North Shore is dictated not by the calendar, but by the tides.
The Crane Beach Sandblast competition offers amateur and professional artists the chance to sculpt castles, monsters and this year, superheroes, in the sand. To give them as much time as possible to do that, organizers have to pick a Saturday in August when as much of the popular beach as possible is above water. This year's event is slated for Aug. 9.
MARBLEHEAD — Marblehead's Festival of the Arts will kick off the summer with its annual three-day celebration of all things artistic, from paintings to photography, from printing to plants. Exhibits will be open starting Thursday, July 3, and ending on Sunday, July 6.
MARBLEHEAD — It would not be summer in Marblehead without Race Week.
It's a tradition as entrenched as fireworks on the Fourth of July. The 119th rendition of the event, which is officially called Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta at Marblehead Race Week, runs from July 21 to July 27.
TOPSFIELD — Antiquing at the Topsfield fairgrounds is back.
Bornstein Shows closed down two years ago after holding a summer show there for 23 years, and now New England Antique Shows will step in during Labor Day weekend.
TOPSFIELD — The Topsfield Fair has its fair share of animals you and your kids can observe.
This year, however, you may be able to catch someone who observes animals for a living, and who has won an Emmy doing so.
Ongoing
Glen Magna Farms (Danvers)
Home of Danvers Historical Society. Formerly, the gracious and distinctive country estate of the Peabody and Endicott families for 145 years of the 18th and early 20th centuries. The house and restored gardens are open daily for events and scheduled tours. Gardens and grounds open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to dusk; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon unless posted for private functions. Garden Tour and boxed lunch Weds. Through July 11. $20.00 p/p rain or shine. Tour the grounds, National Historic Landmark Derby Summerhouse and mansion. Plant sale through June on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. Perennials and herbs. Ingersoll Street. $2 donation requested. 978-777-1666 or www.glenmagnafarms.org.
