Salem’s newest community tradition wasn’t born in a boardroom or a long-planned civic initiative. Instead, it came from a schoolteacher juggling family schedules, entrepreneurial dreams, and a request from a local pizza shop looking for more foot traffic. Out of that mix grew the Crazy Saturday Night Market, a fast-growing evening event that blends small-business commerce with family-friendly entertainment.
The vision, according to market director Rick Saffeels, was simple: create a space that works for vendors and families who can’t always fit Saturday mornings into their schedules. “Evenings felt like a better fit for families to hang out, grab food, and spend time together,” he said. For his students, the event has doubled as a launchpad—an opportunity to raise funds for school trips or test their first ventures in entrepreneurship.
The idea gained momentum quickly. When Saffeels approached Crazy Dough Pizza, a small shop looking for more visibility, the partnership sparked what became the market’s signature challenge: finishing a 28-inch pizza. The quirky contest drew attention online, and soon other local businesses—from Northern Lights to Nina’s Thai Food—were benefiting from the spillover…