About Tricks & Treats Edition
Sevening (v.): the act of showing up after seven(ish), for your people, your community, and honestly yourself in Essex County. New here? No tricks, just treats, you just hit the full-size candy bar house with the original definition, handed out in our About Time Edition. It’s the best treat on the block. Go take a peek. We’ll wait, pillowcase open.
Oh hey there, Essex County. Trick or treat? Trick question, honeys, because this week you get both. The (s)evening shift has been going door to door all over the county, and our pillowcases are heavy. Candy corn? Not on our watch. Or is it?
Last week, thanks to Sal, Essex County got a chakra realignment with crafted ghosts and charms, laughed in a speakeasy cellar, got rocked three guitar gods, spun a dark Disney wheel, watched King Lear lose it all, got a 90s prom redo, and more. Balance? Achieved.
But honeys, it’s gonna be October now, and you know what that means. Every door in Essex County is about to ask the same question: trick or treat? And this week, the answer is yes. Both. Always both. Treats like three tiny pies, clay desserts, a food court, fried dough, and a three-course dinner. Tricks like a whodunit in a cellar, a woman in black, dueling pianos, and a little boy named Damien. Plus a pet portrait, live music, a carnival, and of course, Haunted Happenings hullabaloo. Grab your pillowcase, honeys. Let’s get our door to door on.
September 29, 2026
September 29, 2026Paint Your Pet w/ Rob Lynch at 6:30 PM
Honeys, your pet has been posing for this moment its entire life. Couch Dog Brewing Co. is handing you a brush and a canvas so you can paint a custom portrait of your very own fur baby, with artist Rob Lynch guiding every stroke. Whiskers, snoots, floppy ears, and that one judgmental eyebrow your cat does? All on canvas. No masterpiece required, just love and a steady-ish hand. The trick? Getting them to sit still. The treat? A pint for you and a gallery wall for the good boy. Portergeist has returned! Grab one while you can. Sit. Stay. Slay.
September 30, 2026
Clay Food Lab at 4:30 PM
Mini Picassos, mini Pollocks, mini pastry chefs, assemble. Essex Art Center is turning clay into tiny fruits and whimsical desserts, and yes, we’re soooo jealous. On the menu: a tic-tac-toe game, bag charms, bookmarks, and wearable food-themed jewelry, all made by little hands with very big imaginations. The trick? Every treat looks good enough to eat, and absolutely none of it is. Please, nobody eat the clay. The treat? A cupcake necklace and a strawberry that looks suspiciously like a potato. That’s art, honeys. Your kid’s next era? Clay chef. We said what we said.
October 1, 2026
Haunted Happenings Marketplace at 12:00 PM
Um hellur, the treat we’ve waited for all year has arrived. Haunted Happenings is really here, and your ghoulfriends and boo crew at Creative Collective are rolling out the black carpet. Start at 12:00 PM with the Food Court at Old Town Hall, serving sweet, savory, and seasonal treats. At 4:00 PM, the Marketplace at Charlotte Forten Park brings makers, artists, and one-of-a-kind finds. Plus, DJ Kim Collins spins Parade Night right there at 5:00 PM. Then at 6:30 PM, the Haunted Happenings Grand Parade marches from Shetland Park through downtown to Salem Common. Snack, shop, dance, wave, sevening. October, we ready.
Fall Pie Cupcake Decorating at 6:00 PM
Pie or cupcake? Trick question, why choose? Granite Coast Brewing in Peabody is whipping up a trio of pie-inspired cupcakes, piped and buttercreamed into miniature pumpkin, apple, and cherry pies. The trick? They’re cupcakes in pie drag, and they are serving. The treat? Obviously, all three. No experience needed, so if your last piping bag exploded like a glitter cannon, we are here for it. Mos def. Pipe the lattice, pinch the crust, snap the pic, then watch all three tiny pies vanish before the car ride home. Om nom nom. And yes, I’ll be visiting my GCB boo Seraphine.
Speakeasy Murder Mystery Dinner – Halloweenboro at 6:00 PM
Something wicked this way comes, and well, it’s bringing clam chowder. Descend into the cellar at The Bell Inn & Tavern for a Speakeasy Murder Mystery Dinner, where Ryan and Holly of Shady Bastards Entertainment turn the night into a team-based whodunit. The treat: three courses of chowder or salad, then haddock, short rib, or primavera, then apple crisp or chocolate pecan torte. The trick: someone at the table is lying. Doors at 6, dinner at 6:30, drinks on your tab. Gluten free and dairy free available. Mature content, expect cursing. Sharpen your suspicions, honeys. I know you did it…
October 2-12, 2026
Topsfield Fair
Hold onto your wigs, weave, and whatever glitter’s left cuz the Topsfield Fair is back and it is not playing. Fiesta Shows is rolling the carnival into the Topsfield Fairgrounds for eleven glowing days of thrilling rides, games, live music, and shows. The tricks: roller coasters for the daredevils and games that dare you to win. The treats: classic carousels for the romantics, and fried dough and cotton candy for literally everyone with a pulse. Powdered sugar on every outfit, a stuffed animal bigger than your ego. Scream on the coaster, kiss on the Ferris wheel. Bet. See you on the midway. Wink wink.
October 2, 2026
The Woman in Black – Ames Hall Gothic Series at 7:30 PM
Some tricks knock. This one wears black and lingers at the back of the room. Shivers. The Ames Gothic Series presents Susan Hill’s classic ghost story, The Woman in Black, at historic Ames Memorial Hall. Directed by Alexandra Dietrich, starring North Shore talents Tyler Twombly, Gary Ames, Stanis Ames, and Ariel Sargent. Suspense, darkness, frights, and grief, all in 90 minutes, no intermission, so hold your bladder and your date. Ages 12 and up. Tickets are $30, and every cent supports Creative Arts programming at the Salem YMCA. The treat? Screaming for a cause, honeys.
October 3, 2026
Chris Moreno at 8:00 PM
Oh hey there, music lovers. Off Cabot is sevening with a live music performance from Chris Moreno, and honeys, you mos def want to be in the room when it happens. Intimate venue, big sound, and the kind of evening where the music finds your soul before you find your seat. No tricks tonight, just a full-size treat for your ears, no fun-size nonsense. Bring your people, grab a drink, and let the chords do all the talking. Some treats are loud, some are low key, and this one is just right. Tell Chris we sent you. Hi Chris! Mwah!
Dueling Pianos – Fall Show at 8:00 PM
Two! Two grand pianos. One! One stage. Zero! Zero chill. The Cut is serving Dueling Pianos: Fall Show, an all-request sing-along where rival sections of the crowd battle it out, song for song, key for key. The trick? Out-shouting the other side. The treat? Hearing your song win. Belt the chorus like it’s your drag debut. Audience members occasionally get pulled up for some good-humored fun, so wear your fab fits, honeys. You’ve been warned. 21+, positive ID required, no exceptions. Warm up those vocal cords and pick a side. Team Left Piano, obvs. Or not.
October 4, 2026
The Omen (1976) at 6:00 PM
The biggest trick and treat of the week? A sweet little boy who is not sweet at all. The Cabot screens the 1976 classic The Omen, where diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts little Damien after his wife, Katherine (Lee Remick), loses her baby. Then the nanny, the priest, the balcony: the red flags pile up faster than my eyeliner collection. Is Damien the Antichrist? Spoiler: read the title. The treat? A classic on the big screen, plus popcorn. Check your scalp for birthmarks, and never, ever trust a child who stares too long. What a lil cutie pie!
Consider this your full-size candy bar, honeys, wrapped in sequins and handed out with a wink from the house with the 7 fog machines, 100+ skeletons, all the inflatable decos, and the porch light blazing. Every block has one. This week, it’s totally us.
Trick or treat? Both. Around seven(ish). Obviously. That’s just some of what’s sevening this week. The full lineup lives on the calendar, and it’s the whole Essex County situation and beyond. CC members, got something sevening? Submit a member marketing request and let your event into the candy bowl. We see you.
Not on the newsletter yet? That’s the one treat you really can’t skip. Fix that. And follow us on the socials, @creativecollectivema and @creativecollectiveexplores, both, every week, no exceptions.
Until next week, Essex County. The nights are long, the candy bowls are full, and the porch lights are on. Stay sevening. You know where to find us. We’re everywhere, and so are the tricks and treats.
– (unforever) yeong and the (s)evening shift, out. Smell my feet.
This story comes from the Creative Collective community
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