Where else but Salem would Halloween become a month long event?

The city that has made a cottage industry of witchcraft pulls no punches this Halloween, as it launches its month of Haunted Happenings. It’s a combination of an autumn event, celebrating the changing leaves and cooler weather, with the spirit of Halloween, complete with accompanying ghosts, goblins, witches and folklore.

The Halloween events are all found in historic downtown Salem, and it’s easy to walk from one venue to the next. You can choose from museums, attractions, haunted houses, and a variety of tours, or decide to wander the streets enjoying the dramatic reenactments, psychic fairs, and shopping. Events have been designed to appeal to all age groups. There admission fees for entry to some of the events, others are free.

Here is a partial list of attractions: Salem Witch Museum, House of Seven Gables, Salem Trolley, Witch Dungeon, Witch History Museum, and the Pirate History Museum

And if a tour is more to your liking: Candlelit Ghostly Tours, Cemetery 101: Grave Matters (this sounded like one I’d enjoy), Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour, 1692 Salem Village Trolley Tour, Salem Spirits Trolley Tour, Witchcraft Walk, and Spirit of Salem Seance.

That’s just a few of the things you can do in Salem this month, so be sure to check out the full schedule of events. There’s likely to be something to appeal to your spirited side.

Salem is located 16 miles north of Boston on the Atlantic coast. It is easily accessible by public transportation. In fact, this is the busy season for Salem, and traffic can be a nightmare, so public transportation is a very good idea.

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Among the event’s many highlights is the scheduled appearance of hip-hop artists EPMD (which stands for “Erick and Parrish Making Dollars,” in case you’re curious), also known as New York emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. The East Coast hip-hop specialists’ partnership goes all the way back to 1988. And if that’s not enough — and I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be — Chubb Rock and Das EFX are also slated to appear. That’s a whole lot of hip-hop talent for a free outdoor concert!

Local acts joining EPMD & Company on the lineup includes Dorchester rapper Acrobatik, the dance troupe Static Noyze, Status Quo, and Esoteric. Berklee College will have a significant presence at the event, as well, through the work of three teenage songwriters who won the “Essence” magazine and Berklee College of Music 2008 Take Back the Music Hip-Hop Songwriting Contest: Justin “Jae Guttah” McGibbon, Jennifer “Nesi” Chianesi, and Nyles “Witness” Houston. All three students earned the opportunity to attend Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance on scholarship.

It’s clear to me that the Peace 2008 Hip Hop Festival is one of this summer’s must-attend events. But if you’re apprehensive about going to a concert that features hip-hop music, just heed the words of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who speaks the truth when he says, “Old school Hip Hop contains a strong positive message.” That it does.

Check out the online press release EPMD Headlines Peace 2008 Hip Hop for more details.

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If Garcia was still alive, he would be 66 years old on Friday. To celebrate, Hard Rock Cafe has booked local Grateful Dead tribute band Playin’ Dead to headline a concert that begins at 9pm. While there, fans can also take in some choice Garcia memorabilia, such as his Fender Stratocaster guitar and assorted other artwork on the premises.

The Hard Rock Cafe was located in Copley Square for eighteen years, but it’s now moved to the Faneuil Hall area at 22-24 Clinton Street, where its 16,000 square-foot structure includes a restaurant that seats 514 guests. For more information on how to purchase advance tickets for the birthday event through TicketWeb before 4pm on August 1, visit hardrock.com/boston.

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The tenth annual festival will run until Sunday night, August 3, with a stellar lineup screened in Cambridge and Boston-area theaters, many augmented by Q&A sessions with the actors and filmmakers responsible for creating the movies.

Weekend highlights include:

Friday: “Jellysmoke,” which stars Michael Ely (Showtime’s “Sleeper Cell”), who’ll be present for a Q&A session, as well. [7pm]

Saturday: “Frankie D” with “Drawing Angel,” complemented by a Q&A session with Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Designing Women,” “Moesha”). [11am] Ralph will return at 3:15pm to moderate a series on Health Disparities in Our Community.

Sunday: “Steam,” the closing night presentation, which stars vivacious 83-year-old living legend and Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee, along with actress Ally Sheedy (“The Breakfast Club”). Dee will also participate in a Q&A session, an event guaranteed to be worth the price of admission and then some. [5:30pm]

Visit roxburyfilmfestival.org for more information about the event.

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The free outdoor theatrical performances will feature the work of the Actors Shakespeare Project, American Repertory Theatre, and Revels. On the schedule are:

Shakespeare Slams: Eighteen performers from the American Repertory Theatre’s A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre Training use culture, movement, and music to make Shakespeare more appealing to a varied modern audience. The “Boston Globe” calls it “[t]heatre that cries out to be seen.” [Friday at 6pm, Saturday at 4:30pm, Sunday at 7:45pm]

Love’s Labour’s Lost: The Actors’ Shakespeare Project puts its own unique spin on Shakespeare’s comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” which revolves around four young men who form a three-year pact to forsake women for academic pursuits. The plan goes by the wayside, however, when a princess and her friends arrive in town. Six actors bring sixteen roles to life. [Friday at 7:15pm, Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 3pm]

Visit www.harvardsquare.com for more information about the festival.

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Harborwalk Sounds

• July 31 — Soul and jazz music with Sol Melodiq
• August 7 — Groove music with Zach Hillyard Band
• August 14 — Funk, Jazz, and Soul music with Cole Degenova
• *All concerts are from 6pm–8:30pm and have limited space

Summer Stages Dance — Sara Rudner
Dancing-on-View: The ICA Variations

Choreographer Sara Rudner performs a four-hour celebration of dance on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, from 12–4pm. (Free with admission to the museum)

You Dance Fridays

The popular series of events from first started last summer gives attendees a chance to take dance lessons while enjoying live music. Best of all, it’s free, too, with museum admission.

Swing (August 1, 6 pm) — An hour dance class will be followed by a practice session with music by Russ Gershon’s Swing Vote accompanied by musicians from the Either/Orchestra.

Samba (August 8, 6 pm) — The hour dance class will be led by André Carvalho and Rosangela Santiago and followed by a practice session with music by Brasilis quartet, which is led by the award-winning flutist and composer Fernando Brandão

Institute of Contemporary Art: 100 Northern Avenue, Boston, 617-478-3100

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Pinchbottom Burlesque is a New York production company formed by the performing duo Nasty Canasta, who hails from Boston, and Jonny Porkpie. Together, they present themed burlesque shows for audiences that combine striptease with assorted other acts relevant to the theme of the moment, which also includes a plot and a script, just like a regular old stage play.

Moreover, the August 5 event will feature Clams Casino, the victor at the 2008 Burlesque Hall of Fame Exotic World Pageant for Most Humorous and Most Innovative, along with Peekaboo Pointe of This is Burlesque and the renowned Pontani Sisters. A plus for sports fans is the planned tribute to the Boston Red Sox by hometown girl Nasty Canasta.

The Beehive: 541 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 617-423-0069

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Boston’s local gospel scene will be represented by LeRoy Streat with Grace. The group specializes in the Christian worship music that Streat has been writing, playing, and producing for more than fifteen years, in addition to his work leading music ministries both in the United States and abroad. The local presence is increased by Major Choirboy, a native of Houston, Texas, and recent graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Headlining the event is Israel Houghton & New Breed, led by award winner Houghton, who, like Streat, is a full-service musician. His experience and talent writing, performing, and producing Christian and Gospel music resulted in a Grammy for his 2007 album Alive in South Africa (pictured above left), which was recorded in Capetown.

City Hall Plaza is conveniently located right next to the Government Center Station on the MBTA subway’s Green Line. Take a look at the video after the jump for Israel Houghton & New Breed’s track “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” to get in the mood before heading to GospelFest 2008.

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From 11am to 6pm on Saturday, July 19, downtown Boston will host the Life is good Festival, an annual summer event guaranteed to make residents and visitors alike feel pretty darn good, no matter what their age.

The fundraiser, always free of charge to the general public, features a number of physical activities that reflect the infectious spirit and energy of youth. One of the most popular is the competition to be crowned the World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete, a victory that announces to the world that the winner rocks at spitting Watermelon seeds as far as possible, making a Frisbee fly through the air, and navigating the twists and turns of a challenging obstacle course.

There’s not a better way to make your mark on history, especially since all proceeds, raised through pledges, benefit the Boston-based nonprofit children’s charity Project Joy, which is dedicated to using “the healing power of play to transform kids sidelined by violence, poverty and loss into healthy and joyful players in the game of life.” In fact, 100 percent of the funds raised at Life is good’s various outdoor festivals in thirteen states is donated to indispensable charitable organizations that assist children.

Other highlights to look forward to on Saturday include team-oriented games in the Joy Zone; arts and crafts and other cool-down activities in Chillville; and a variety of traditional games, such as treasure hunts and Hula Hoop spinning, in Jake Town.

And then there’s the entertainment attendees can observe, this weekend ranging from the previously mentioned World’s Greatest Backyard Athlete competition; Double Dutch and Hula Hoop demonstrations; and music from Electric Youth (who also dance!), Melvin Sparks, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and children’s entertainer SteveSongs.

Remember, this is all free, meaning there’s no excuse not to stop by and mingle for at least a little while if you’re in the area. Visit the Life is good website for additional information, including how to contribute to the organization’s very worthy cause. You can also take a look at the promotional video for Saturday’s event below to get an idea of the Life is good founders’ laid-back and fun-loving approach.

Boston Common: Charles Street and Beacon Street at the Green Line Subway Park Street and Boylston Street Stations

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At Forest Hills Cemetery’s sunset version of the festival, participants set paper lanterns they’ve created and decorated themselves afloat on Lake Hibiscus. The lanterns are typically inscribed with messages to the deceased, and the candles placed inside emit a peaceful glow on the water as each lantern travels on its symbolic journey to the afterlife.

Although admission to the ceremony is free, a $10 donation per lantern is suggested. That’s a reasonable request for an uplifting event that will include music and dance performances by gospel singer Ron Murphy, students from Showa Institute and Chu Ling Dance Academy, and Master Tsuji’s Samurai Taiko Drummers. Attendees, whether participants or just observers, are also invited to hold picnics on the lawn while enjoying the performances.

Visit Forest Hills Cemetery online for additional information, including how to purchase advance tickets for the festival reception scheduled from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place one week later, on July 24, instead.

Forest Hills Cemetery: 95 Forest Hills Avenue, Jamaica Plain, 617-524-0128

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