SALEM -- The Boys & Girls Club of Salem thanked the community with some fun and entertainment at Community Appreciation Day.

“We just wanted to do a little something nice for everyone in the community,” said Michael Centor, chief professional officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Salem.

After eight weeks on the job, Centor wanted to give something back to the people who support the club and make its many programs possible. Community Appreciation Day was a mixture of music, entertainment, demonstrations and overall good times. The Salem Fire Department manned the grill and local nonprofits set up informational booths.

“It's a blast,” said Misty Taylor.

The Taylor children Amanda, 13, Maddy, 8, and Samantha, 10, learned a thing or two at the New England Reptile Distributors presentation. The star of the show was an 18-foot female reticulated python returned to NERD after she grew too big to be a house pet. A full-grown python of that breed can grow up to 32 feet, according to Tyler Paquette of NERD.

Attention was soon drawn to the grass where Karate International of Windham demonstrated some high-flying martial arts moves.

“The kids love to perform in front of people, and this gave us an opportunity to come outside and do what we love to do,” said Joe Costa, chief instructor and owner of Karate International.

Salem Police Officers Paul Benoit and Dan Nelson provided a more down-to-earth presentation, featuring their dog partners Till and Trigger. Trigger demonstrated a knack for sniffing out contraband. Till showed her ability to take down the bad guys with a little assistance from Officer Benoit in protective gear.

The dogs are trained in stages and undergo constant certification training. Statistics show that fewer assaults against officers occur when dogs are on the scene, Benoit said.

“The dog shows up, people comply,” Benoit said.

People left with smiles on their faces after ventriloquist Jake LaMarca of Rotterdam, N.Y., closed the show with his stage partners Louie and Archie. LaMarca has been performing for about two years.

“I always liked comedians and ventriloquists on TV, and I always thought I could do something like that,” LaMarca said.

His career started with a sock puppet. LaMarca said he made the two-hour drive to Salem because his first professional performance was at the Boys & Girls Club in Schenectady, N.Y., and he wanted to give something back.

jhanson@newstote.com