Snow-Related Issues Lead To Temporary Closure Of Old Salem

Old Salem, a popular local destination for Christmas, is closed temporarily as a result of last week's snowstorm.

At first, the surprise snow was exciting, potentially creating the perfect setting for a big holiday weekend.

But then a server that  handles everything from ticket sales to retail receipts failed after a power outage, and the emotions quickly changed, says president and CEO Frank Vagnone.

“We had to cancel a long list of events right on probably our busiest weekend of the season, so it's been in a way really devastating for us,” he says.

Weekend events that were cancelled included sold-out candlelight Christmas tours and the Salem Christmas festival.

Vagnone says he hopes the computer issue can be solved this week so Old Salem can reopen. He adds the holiday schedule is so packed that it's not possible to reschedule the cancelled events.