The Playlist — Things to do Jan 3-5, 2025

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A Note from the Instigator...

I've been devouring food content lately. Not just photos—recipes, reviews, food stories, books about food culture, and even a foreign TV show that make me want to book a one-way ticket to anywhere with a great meal. I’ve been eating with my eyes and ears more than my stomach, and it’s making me want to explore.

Case in point: on a recent trip to my hometown (Victoria, BC), I made my annual pilgrimage to Russell Books, where my obsession took a new turn. I found a well-loved copy of The Best American Food Writing 2020, edited by chef, food writer, and culinary creative J. Kenji López-Alt. “These are stories about culture,” writes Kenji, “About how food shapes people, neighborhoods, and history.” I was sucked in faster than a bowl of ramen on a cold day.

And it’s fitting because...after a food-light current edition, Press Play Salem is going full culinary for our Spring issue. Where to eat, who’s cooking, and the delicious stories behind it all. Food is more than fuel—it’s connection. Whether it’s a meeting over coffee, a lunch date with friends, or after-movie desserts with a beau, food can bring people together on a common plate. And we’re looking forward to sharing that with you, dear reader. 

Got Salem food recs? Let me know. I’d love to hear about what you're eating, whether it’s with your eyes or stomach.

And with that, I won't keep you any longer from what's happening this weekend in Salem...Enjoy!

—Carlee 

The Instigator (and Editor)

Here's what's happening this weekend in Salem...

Robin Kerr is the featured artist at Salem On The Edge this month. Scroll down for the details.

Want to plan ahead? Watch for our monthly calendar here and our searchable calendar here. Got an event? Submit it here.

Art Walk

The First Friday Art Walk returns for 2025, but with a renewed connection with artists and artisans. The Salem community is invited to enjoy local art, pop-up events, live music, and more as you stroll through downtown Salem from 5 to 8 p.m. on the First Friday of each month during the year.

January's participating businesses & artists are —

  • Artists in Action Gallery, 444 Ferry St SE featuring new work by co-op members "Celebrate the New Year! Celebrate art!"
  • Elsinore Framing, 444 Ferry St SE with artists Karen Nadeau & Susan Appleby
  • The Holman Hotel, 195 Commercial St SE with artist Jonezy
  • Quantum Light Annex, 189 Liberty St NE #101 with artist Tori Corner
  • Salem on the Edge, 156 Liberty St NE with artists Robin Kerr & Peregrine
  • Sewell Sweets, 155 Liberty St NE #160 with artist Michael Hines-Olheiser

Laugh

1 Star Revue — A scouring of the world wide web for the strangest and most ridiculous reviews has inspired a hilarious improvised comedy show. Watch as comedians turn the internet's bad reviews into something new, 9:30 p.m. Friday, Jan 3, at Infinity Room, 210 Liberty St SE #150. $12 in advance; $15 at the door. Age 21 and older. Click here for tickets.

On the Big Screen

Salem Cinema presents Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 5:45 p.m. Jan 3; 3 p.m. Jan 4 and 5:15 p.m. Jan 7 at Salem Cinema. Click here for tickets.

Acting Resolution?

Is acting one of your New Year’s Resolutions? Try out during Open Auditions for Big Fish, on stage with Pentacle Theatre March 21 through April 12. 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, January 4 at Pentacle Theatre Rehearsal Studio, 197 Liberty St SE. Learn more here.

Prepare yourself for the public stage with Pentacle Theatre’s Winter Acting Workshop — Join skilled director and actress Jo Dodge in a fun, hands-on 11-week theater workshop exploring the human spirit. Students participate in improvisation and scene work in a safe, supportive and non-competitive environment. The focus is on individual self-development. This workshop is for all skill levels, from beginners to the most experienced. You must be 18 or older to attend. The workshop runs every Saturday for 11 weeks from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Winter Session begins Saturday, January 4, at 197 Liberty St SE. Register here.

Walk for Charity

Participate in the 13th annual CrossWalk benefiting the Marion County Victim Assistance Division which provides resources, services, and support to victims of violent and traumatic crime in our community. The 1.5 mile family-friendly walk takes place 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. January 4 and begins at Gerry Frank Amphitheater at Riverfront Park. Register to participate here.

This weekly newsletter is free...

because we want you to get out and play!

Coffee helps keep us going...and every sip is appreciated!  

MUSIC

Live music featuring Postrich Bear (Salem-based Alt), Psychic Poppies (Salem-based Phantom Flower Music), and Hypnatwists (Salem-based Alternative/Garage Rock), 7 p.m. Jan 4 at Infinity Room. $10adv/$13 at the door. All ages. Click here for tickets.

Live music with Joanne Broh Band featuring Garry Meziere bringing you their dynamic, tasty blues. New songs to be introduced! Bring your dancing shoes! 8 p.m. Jan 4 at the Half Penny Public House, 3743 Commercial St S

The Synergy String Quartet plays Beethoven, Boccherini & Borodin. 2 p.m. Saturday, January 4, at Saint Mark Lutheran Church, 790 Marion St NE. Admission is free but there is a suggested donation of $10.

Evensong Concert presents"O Radiant Dawn" Christmas Music for Women's Voices — Music for treble voices will be sung by the professional vocal ensemble In Mulieribus from Portland. Translated as "among women", In Mulieribus will present music for the season of Christmas. The groups will bring a "Marian" focus to the concert with choral compositions by Josquin Desprez, Vicente Lusitano and David McIntyre. This concert directly follows the 4 p.m. January 5 service of Evensong at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1444 Liberty St SE. It is open to the public with free will donations gratefully accepted. Click here for info.

This weekend at Salem Cinema...

On Stage

Brought to you by KMUZ’s Theatre Talk, airing on the 1st and 3rd Friday, 9 to 10 a.m. at 100.7 and 88.5 FM

Tune In

KMUZ Theatre Talk brings you news and interviews about live theatre throughout the mid-Willamette Valley. The next show takes place 9 a.m. Jan 3 on KMUZ 100.7 & 88.5 FM. Listen here

Plus Explore Art

HALLIE FORD MUSEUM OF ART

After being closed for winter break, Hallie Ford Museum of Art welcomes you to revisit and see featured work by award-winning Bend, Oregon photographer and author Nancy Floyd: For the Love of Trees. In 2022, Floyd was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to embark on a multi-year project exploring the unique bond that Oregonians have with the forest and trees, including those who study trees, those who protect trees, those who make a living off trees, and those who see trees as part of their daily life. In the process, she has interviewed key stakeholders in the timber and forestry business; followed workers into the forest as they cut or studied trees; visited mills and shadowed those who work there; and accompanied workers at tree farms as they planted and nurtured trees. 

700 State St | 503-370-6855, willamette.edu/arts/hfma

Pegasus Landing - Randall Tosh

LEVEL 2 GALLERY

Named one of the best exhibits of 2024 by Oregon Arts Watch, Souvenirs of Imaginary Places: Photographs by Randall Tosh continues through January 24. Salem artist Randall Tosh has been exploring antique photographic processes for most of his photographic career. He is interested in the inherently uncanny property of images produced by these old processes, which seem to recontextualize objects, people, and landscapes into an idyllic nineteenth-century past. His interest also extends to antique photographic equipment, and he uses an array of antique lenses to produce his work.

Second Floor at Salem Convention Center | 503-589-1700, oregonartistsseries.com 

ART HALL @ SPL

See a companion of Souvenirs of Imaginary Places: Photographs by Randall Tosh currently on exhibit at Level 2.

Artwork by Peregrine

SALEM ON THE EDGE

Through February 2, see work by featured artist Robin Kerr — A study in contrasts, it reflects the experience of an immigrant "in limbo" between cultures. Working with paint, wax pastels, ink, and graphite, Robin's pieces juxtapose large, bold shapes with intricate, delicate lines, and dominant color blocks with subtle, unexpected details. This blend of certainty and uncertainty, boldness and ambiguity, brings tension and perhaps even an element of confusion to her compositions: things are not always as they appear.  

Plus guest artist Peregrine takes a multimedia approach to their body of work Cut and Draw, informed by their experiences as a contemporary non-binary artist. Inspired by the visual storytelling of vintage movie posters, they combine elements from diverse sources like art textbooks, fashion catalogs, and children’s books to build surreal collaged compositions that evoke the “who, what, and where” of a narrative. Each collage is then transformed into a linocut print to create mirrored reflections of the image across mediums.

Opening Reception: 5 to 8 p.m.Friday, Jan 3.

156 Liberty St NE | salemontheedge.com

Solitude - Dee Hendrix

ARTISTS IN ACTION GALLERY

Artists in Action presents “Celebrate the New Year! Celebrate Art!” for their January 2025 exhibit. Discover a captivating selection of brand-new artworks created by each member artist, showcased prominently along the gallery's front window.

An artist co-operative featuring 22 artists, the AiA Gallery shares a space with Elsinore Framing at 444 Ferry St SE | AiAArtGallery.org

WORLD BEAT GALLERY

Through February 6, check out Angkorian Might — An immersive exhibit exploring the culture of Cambodia at the World Beat Gallery, which gives local cultural communities a space to share their heritage: the stories told and items exhibited come directly from members of our community. 

390 Liberty St SE | 503-581-2004, salemmulticultural.org

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