Press Play Salem

Sip & Stroll Salem 2026
2026-06-19 16:00 - 20:00 (America/Vancouver) | Downtown Salem, United States
Sip & Stroll Salem
June 19th | 4 pm – 8 pm

This year’s Sip & Stroll Salem is shaping up to be our biggest stroll yet! Not only can you wander through downtown Salem sampling wines from vineyards across Oregon, but we’re also introducing our first-ever Sip & Stroll Beer Garden, featuring our beer and spirit partners. Whether you love sipping the valley’s finest Pinots or prefer a great brew or classic old-fashioned, there’s something for everyone.
Grab your friends and family, plan your route, and join more than 700 participants as you stroll in support of Garten programs and services, providing life-changing opportunities to over 400 people with disabilities in your community.
Must be 21 years or older to participate
Click here to buy tickets.

Gaiety Hollow Open Gardens
2026-06-17 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-13 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-06-10 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-03 10:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-30 10:00 - 13:00 | Gaiety Hollow, 545 Mission St. SE, Salem, 97301, United States
Visit the restored home, garden and studio of pioneering landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. Open Gardens offers a closer look at their work and influence.

Weekly Drop-In Improv Comedy Class
2026-06-15 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-06-08 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-06-01 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-25 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-18 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-11 19:30 - 20:30 | Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre, 187 High St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Build confidence, communication and quick-thinking skills through playful improv exercises and scene work. The drop-in class welcomes beginners and experienced performers.

Flag Day
2026-06-13 10:00 - 16:00 | B-17 Alliance Museum, 3278 25th St SE, Hangar C, Salem, 97301, United States
Join the B-17 Alliance Foundation at McNary Field – Salem, Oregon, in honor of celebrating National Flag Day, celebrated by Americans on June 14.

Learn about the United States flag, history, and receive a free small flag giveaway.

Flag Day is also called National holiday Flag Day in the United States. A day to honor and fly our national flag. The holiday commemorates June 14, 1777, when the United States approved the design for its first national flag.
The idea to set aside a day to honor the national flag came from several sources. Bernard J. Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, in 1885 urged his students to observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday.” He later wrote an essay published in a Chicago newspaper that urged Americans to proclaim this date as the day to celebrate the flag. In 1888 William T. Kerr of Pennsylvania founded the American Flag Day Association of Western Pennsylvania, an organization to which he dedicated his life. A lesser-known claim is that of George Morris of Connecticut, who is said to have organized the first formal celebration of the day in Hartford in 1861.
In 1916 Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949 the U.S. Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, Pennsylvania celebrates the day as a state holiday. Each year the U.S. president delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.
Join B-17 Alliance on Saturday, June 13, 2026, to honor traditions and our American flag.

Soul + R&B Yoga
2026-06-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-05-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Resonance Yoga Collective Studio, 129 Commercial St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Join Shirley Brown for a musically soulful and joyful 75 min yoga/mindful movement practice.
Practice is orchestrated with rhythmic and soulful tunes to get you moving and maybe even singing. Together we will celebrate the joy of Soul and R&B music as we flow. If you love R&B / Soul music, don’t miss these Friday nights.

$20 per yogi | $16 for Resonance members (use your coupon code)

Family Clay Sunday
2026-06-07 11:00 - 15:00, 2026-05-17 11:00 - 15:00
Bring the whole family for some quality together time and learn simple hand-built projects that are fun for everyone and create magical memories for your family.
Family Clay Sunday is a drop-in program. No registration required
Family Clay Sundays are back. We now offer an “early bird” hour for families that prefer a quieter setting and simpler projects.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. for early birds
12 – 3 p.m. Family Clay Sunday drop-in sessions
Cost
$5 per artist to create a new project on the first Sunday of the month.
$5 for glazing day on the third Sunday of the Month. We will offer bisque pieces to purchase at $5 each for those who didn’t attend the first Sunday session so everyone can enjoy glaze day.
We’re so glad that our little studio is able to offer this activity to our community.
Facilitated by Kelly Matney supported by Doug Dacar.
Dates & Projects:
February 1 & 15:

Early birds: Thumb vase
Drop in: Ice cream bowls

March 1 & 15:

Early Birds: Textured hand prints
Drop-in: Chicken plates

April 19:

Catch-up glaze day

May 3 & 17:

Early birds: Name frames
Drop-in: Coil name plaques’

June 7 and 21:

Early birds: Familer faces
Drop-in: Moon Face

Portfolio Show 2026
2026-06-04 15:30 - 19:00 | Chemeketa Community College, 4000 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, 97305, United States
Chemeketa Community College’s Visual Communications Program will host its annual Portfolio Show on June 4th, 2026 in Building 60 (Agricultural Hub) on the Salem campus. Multimedia Arts students will be presenting their demo reels beginning at 3:30pm, and the full show of all graduates runs from 4:15-7:00pm.

First Tuesday Music & Poetry Open Mic
2026-06-02 19:00 - 22:00, 2026-05-05 19:00 - 22:00 | Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre, 187 High St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Salem’s Historic Grand is pleased to invite performers of all varieties to take the ballroom stage the first Tuesday of every month! Musicians, bands, poets, and all other performers are encouraged to sign up and share your talent! Hosted by Matador Hamilton and Danny Shaw of Giantess.
Doors at 6:30, show 7pm-10pm. No admission, all ages. Sign ups open with doors at 6:30.
If your band would like to perform, please reach out to Matador Hamilton via Facebook or @matadormakesmusic on Instagram and let him know which backline gear your band will need.

An Evening of Jazz
2026-05-30 17:00 - 20:00 | Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
An Evening Of Jazz
May 30, 5pm-8pm
Salem Convention Center

Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready for the North Salem Band Boosters’ annual fundraiser, An Evening of Jazz!
The 14th Street Jazz Band and D Street Jazz Band will perform danceable tunes, a delicious dinner is included, drinks are available for purchase, and there are many amazing items and experiences to bid on in the silent and live auctions.
We can’t wait to see you there!

A few notes:
•Venue: Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. SE, Salem OR 97301
•You’re encouraged (but not required) to dress in 1920s-inspired attire.
•Dancing is encouraged (but not required!) — if the dance floor is your spot, wear your dancing shoes.
•Doors open at 5 p.m.; live jazz begins at 5:15 p.m. and will go late into the evening.
•There is a silent auction and a live auction with fantastic experiences and items to bid on, plus raise-the-paddle opportunities to donate to various things that all of the band students need throughout the year.

We are so excited to see you and can’t wait for you to hear the band students who’ve been working hard on their swingin’ jazz classics.

Click here for tickets.

The Marshall Tucker Band
2026-05-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
When you wake up and want to put a smile on your face, you think of the songs that always manage to reach down and touch your soul the moment you hear the first note. The Marshall Tucker Band is one such group that continues to have a profound level of impact on successive generations of listeners who’ve been “Searchin’ for a Rainbow” and found it perfectly represented by this tried-and-true Southern institution over the decades. “I’ve been in tune with how music can make you feel, right from when I was first in the crib,” explains lead vocalist and bandleader Doug Gray, who’s been fronting the MTB since the very beginning. “I was born with that. And I realized it early on, back when I was a little kid and my mom and dad encouraged me to get up there and sing whatever song came on the jukebox. It got to the point where people were listening to me more than what was on the jukebox! There’s a certain gift I found I could share, whether I was in front of five people or 20,000 people. I was blessed with that ability and I’m thankful I can share with others.”

The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry, and quite driven six-piece outfit in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space — and they’ve been in tune with tearing it up on live stages both big and small all across the globe ever since. Plus, the band’s mighty music catalog, consisting of more than 20 studio albums and a score of live releases, has racked up multi-platinum album sales. A typically rich MTB setlist is bubbling over with a healthy dose of hits like the heartfelt singalong “Heard It in a Love Song,” the insistent pleading of “Can’t You See” (the signature tune of MTB’s late co-founding lead guitarist and then-principal songwriter Toy Caldwell), the testifying “Fire on the Mountain,” the wanderlust gallop of “Long Hard Ride,” and the explosive testimony of “Ramblin,’” to name but a few.

Indeed, the secret ingredient to the ongoing success of The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be seen and felt far and wide throughout many mainstream digital outlets (Netflix, Amazon, etc.). In essence, it’s this inimitable down-home sonic style that helped make the MTB the first truly progressive Southern band to grace this nation’s airwaves — the proof of which can be found within the grooves of “Take the Highway,” the first song on their self-titled April 1973 debut album on Capricorn Records, The Marshall Tucker Band. “We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg,” explains Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flautist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks.

Doug Gray sees no end to the road that lies ahead for The Marshall Tucker Band, whose legacy is being carried forward by the man himself and his current bandmates, drummer B.B. Borden (Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws), bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist/vocalist Chris Hicks, and guitarist/vocalist Rick Willis.“People ask me all the time what I’m gonna do when I turn 80, and I always say, ‘The same thing that we’re continuing to do now.’ We’re road warriors, there’s no doubt about that — and I don’t intend to slow down.” May the MTB wagon train continue running like the wind on a long hard ride for many more years to come. One thing we absolutely know for sure: If you heard it in a Marshall Tucker Band song, it certainly can’t be wrong.

Poetry & Peonies
2026-05-22 18:00 - 19:30 | The Hot Loft, 285 Liberty St Suite 268, Salem, 97301, United States
Join author Jessica Amos for a playful and inspiring workshop celebrating the release of her new book My Life in Moments: A Poetic Memoir.
You’ll be guided through simple, soulful poetry-writing exercises before making your own lush peony bouquet to take home.
Come solo or bring a friend! This is a space to slow down, make something beautiful, and connect with the beauty of your inner world.

this is for you if…

You feel drawn to creativity, beauty, and meaningful experiences
You want to reconnect with yourself, your voice, and inner world
You love the idea of a girls night that feels inspiring and intentional
You are curious about poetry, even if you’ve never written before

Willamette Art Center Open House
2026-05-16 13:00 - 15:30 | Willamette Art Center, 3995 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Suite 100, Salem, 97302, United States
Willamette Art Center to Celebrate New Location with Open House and Arts Activities

The Willamette Art Center is celebrating the success of its new and expanded location in Salem by inviting the public to its Welcome Back open house on Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The open house will include tours of the new community studio, clay-based arts activities, delicious snacks, information about upcoming classes/workshops and opportunities to chat with studio instructors and staff.
“It’s a joy to see the community come into the studio and take advantage of this wonderful space to create,” said Lisa Joyce, Willamette Art Center’s Executive Director. “Our team has worked especially hard to create a welcoming, accessible space for everyone. Whether you’re new to working with clay or an experienced artist, there’s a creative home for you here at Willamette Arts Center.”
The Willamette Art Center Welcome Back event will include art and other opportunities for visitors, such as:

Raku: Glaze a clay object and have it fired in our Raku kiln. Willamette Art Center is the only local clay studio with this special firing process
Experiment with hand building: Enjoy this age-old way to create art
Throw on a wheel: Test your skills or learn how to get started throwing on the wheel
Meet our instructors: Say hello to our experienced instructors and get to know them
Sign up for a class: Sign up to take an introductory class or build your skills with our advanced offerings

“Our hope is to fill the Willamette Art Center space with patrons who love to create and be a part of a supportive, caring community,” said Josie Hummert, Willamette Art Center Board President. “At a time when so much is happening in the world around us, Willamette Art Center is a place for everyone to feel welcomed. We’ve deliberately set up this studio to give people room not just to create, but to connect.”
What: Willamette Art Center Community Open House
Where: 3995 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Suite 100
When: Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Onsite parking available.
Willamette Art Center (WAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts studio in Salem, Oregon. Their mission is to maintain a sustainable and welcoming community for lifelong learning and exploration of the arts. The WAC’s programming is focused on access to the arts, promoting the arts, and improving the community. Classes, workshops and other arts opportunities are available throughout the year, including Family Clay Sundays, school-based programs and field trips.

Copland & Rachmaninoff
2026-05-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Smith Auditorium, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
Oregon Symphony in Salem presents
Copland & Rachmaninoff
Fasten your seatbelt as Alessio Bax tackles Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a creation of massive power and drive and one of the hardest-to-master works in the repertoire. After its premiere in New York City, a critic wrote that “its great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performances by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers.” Its quiet start leads into an astonishing unleashing of notes and hurtles to a riveting conclusion. Copland’s Third Symphony also was first presented in the U.S. Its spirit is undeniably “American”—vital, optimistic, and big-hearted—triumphantly exclaimed in the finale’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

The Wailin' Jennys
2026-05-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse — three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound.
Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with New York-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording, and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
The Wailin’ Jennys are more than just impeccable bluegrass harmonizers; they’re also terrific bandleaders who give their traditional roots music a sense of real reverence. — NPR

Salem Pops Orchestra featuring True North Duo
2026-05-10 15:00 - 17:00 | East Salem Community Center, 1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, 97305, United States
Hear Salem Pops Orchestra featuring special guests True North Duo (Kristen Grainger & Dan Wetzel) 3pm, Sunday, May 10
Salem Pops is arranging six of True North’s original songs for orchestra and they will perform them together, live.

The Breasts of Tirésias
2026-05-09 01:00 - 02:30 | Smith Auditorium, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
The Breasts of Tiresias
Music by Francis Poulenc and Lyics by Gillaume Apollinaiare
Gender norms pop like balloons in The Breasts of Tiresias, Poulenc and Appollinaire’s bawdy surrealist romp. Frustrated with the life of a housewife, Tiresias sheds her breasts and becomes the male General Tirésias. As she leads a new life fighting distant wars on foreign battlefields, her stay-at-home husband discovers a way to make babies on his own – but not just one: 40,049 of them. This delightfully sugar-coated pill coats the sublime in the ridiculous.

Be Like Blippi Tour
2026-05-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Blippi is coming to your hometown in the all-new Be Like Blippi Tour! Get ready to see the world more curiously as you move like, play like, and explore just like Blippi! Join Blippi and Meekah. live on stage in a high-energy live show packed with music, laughter, and surprises, featuring fan-favorites like “The Excavator Song,” “Monster Truck,” “Dino Dance,” and “Curious Like Me.” This brand-new interactive adventure invites families to put on your orange glasses and unlock the spark of curiosity inside us all—showing that everyone can Be Like Blippi!

Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns
2026-05-05 - 2026-06-04 | Oregon State Capitol, 900 Court St NE, Salem, 97301, United States
The Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum (HECCM) presents “Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns” May 5 through June 4. The exhibit is available during Capitol hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Athanasios (Tom) Efthimiou Stefopoulos was a factory worker, railroad man, commercial artist, and a champion penman. Art was his first love but pursuing this was difficult for a young immigrant in an adopted country where he did not even speak the language. In 1945, he was employed by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad to work as a crossing watchman under the Lovejoy Ramp of the Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon. It was here that the artist created the iconic “Lovejoy Columns.” This exhibition considers the range of Stefopoulos’ art, from pen drawings to the murals that graced the Lovejoy Columns. His style is a unique blend of calligraphic lines and Art Nouveau, and his themes span Ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary world events. In style and in theme, Stefopoulos blended a myriad of influences, a result of a life lived in multiple places and among many people. Despite a life that was characterized by movement and synthesis, however, the Lovejoy Columns represent a sense of belonging to specific place—in this case, to Oregon. Stefopoulos’ art gives insight into how the artist envisioned himself in this new home.
This exhibit was one of three that were awarded Capitol History Gateway exhibit sponsorships in the first year of the program. Exhibits are funded, in part, by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
