Salem Willows

The park covers over 35 acres and includes beaches, a pier, a yacht club, and a boardwalk with an arcade as well as take-out restaurants. There are many areas for recreational activities including social gatherings and picnicking. There are gazebos, a small stage area, and tennis and basketball courts. There is an amusement park called Kiddieland with a carousel that survives to this day with a few other rides that are for children only, as well as a miniature golf course. There are two small beaches located on the Willows which is a common place for tourists to go and see the surrounding cities and towns. The beaches are also a common place to watch the 4th of July fireworks since you can see three sets of fireworks; Salem, Beverly, and Marblehead. The Salem Trolley stops at the park.

Many establishments on Restaurant Row, the park's north side, served fresh seafood, while a carousel with carved flying horses was another special attraction. The park is near the Juniper Point neighborhood, most likely named for its juniper trees. Many of the houses there were originally occupied only during the summer, but they are now year round homes."

Negro Election Day

Negro Election Day, formerly called, Salem Black Picnic Day,(until 2019) and the “Colored People’s Picnic” (until 1968), "Church Picnic" and "Sunday Picnic" is a celebration of historical significance; "The First Black Voting System" and in 2022, it will celebrate its 282nd anniversary. Salem was one of a few Massachusetts towns in which Black people voted to elect a Black Governor who would serve as a judge, mediator, and liaison for the Black community. Negro Election Day's first celebration was in 1741 and its first elected King/Governor was Black King Pompey. He resided in Lynn on the Saugus River, which eventually became the Town of Saugus. 26 enslaved people gathering to present Black King Pompey and celebrate this daylong coronation.

Negro Election Day moved to Salem Willows around 1858, today it occurs on the third Saturday of July. In 2019 Senators Joan Lovely and Bruce Tarr sponsored a bill to establish the third Saturday in July as Negro Election Day. The Bill passed favorable in the House and the Senate In March, 2022. Since World War II, the celebration has been held on a Saturday since that was the only time many African Americans who worked in factories had time to celebrate. The activities of Negro Election Day was cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and returned in 2022.

The overarching theme of the day is to Black History Matters. The celebration consists of a families barbecuing and eating together, a parade, vendors, free entertainment, Community speeches and awards, music, dancing, sporting contests, and voter registration. Attendance ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 people. Popular food at the event include spare ribs, collard greens, and potato salad. One year the National Park Service supplied an Election Day Cake, made by Ziggy & Sons’ Donuts in Salem from an 18th-century recipe.

Negro Election Day was practiced during the War of 1812 to protect Black POW's from the hardship and cruelty practiced at Dartmoor Prison, Great Britain. The most famous Black King during that time period was called Black King Dick. When the POW's were freed in 1815, he was released and returned to Massachusetts becoming an auxiliary Police Office in Boston.

In recent years there has been more interest in the history of this event. Some historic documents that mention the event include:

• Benjamin Lynde (Salem attorney) diary from 1741, which states “Election; Negro’s hallowday here at Salem.”
• "Diary of William Bentley" (Salem minister) from 1817

Since 2015 the Salem United, Inc, led by Doreen Wade, has organized the event. The Salem United Board came together, to maintain the historic importance of the Negro Election Day. Also in 2015 Governor Charlie Baker signed a decree recognizing the Black Picnic as a historical event.