Looking for a Great Staycation?

Most of the area arts groups are wrapping up their seasons and getting ready for their summer hiatus. That can only mean one thing; summer festival season is upon us. Starting with the World Beat Festival at the end of June, there is a festival in the area just about every weekend through August, not to mention, September’s favorite festival…Oktoberfest. While these events and festivals provide affordable family fun during the summer month, they mean so much more for the community.
The majority of these events are organized by area non-profit organizations as a way to raise money to continue their programs and benefit the community through the services they offer or dollars they provide through grants throughout the year.
As you are looking for “staycations” for the family this summer, consider visiting our area parks and downtowns for wonderful events such as World Beat Festival, Hoopla, The Bite of Salem, Summer in the City, Riverfest and many others. Consider making a contribution at the gate to support the causes behind these opportunities for fun. A few dollars at the gate can mean the world to the groups organizing these events. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Oregon Symphony Association in Salem Brings Joshua Bell to Town

The Oregon Symphony Association in Salem sure knows how to end a season on a high note. An incredible and varied season of guest musicians will come to an end on May 19^th when the Oregon Symphony takes the stage at Smith Auditorium with Joshua Bell. Known as much for his movie star good looks as his virtuosity with the violin, Joshua Bell has made an indelible mark on the music world.

Bell has gained an entirely new and younger audience as classical music increases in popularity as a result of mp3 players. Once known as a child prodigy, Joshua Bell’s star continues to rise and the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem must be delighted that he will be performing in Salem. I have experienced Joshua Bell in concert in two previous appearances with the Oregon Symphony in Portland and each time I was awed by his remarkable way to speak to the audience through his violin.

I think the thing that impresses me the most about Bell is his ability to make classical music accessible to everyone. Whether a fan of classical music or not, Bell has a way of reaching you with his music. For more information about this concert or the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem visit www.orsymphonysalem.org, for tickets visit www.ticketswest.com. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Salem Cinema is Broadway Bound

I grew up in Northeast Salem’s Hollywood District and have many fond memories of those years and growing up in a time when kids from all over the neighborhood would come together to play at each other’s houses. I have very distinct memories of hopping into my mom’s Valiant and going to pick up the dry-cleaning, among other errands. One of the things I remember about these trips was the old Eagle’s lodge that stood on the corner of Broadway and Market Streets and asking my mom about it on just about every trip through that intersection.

Over time the neighborhoods of the Hollywood District have changed, and the Grant and Highland Neighborhoods have worked hard to overcome a stigma of drug houses and gang violence. Many of the buildings that surrounded the corner of Broadway and Market Streets have been vacated, and the Eagles Lodge was torn down, but what has appeared in its place is wonderful community resurgence and at the heart of it all is the new home of Salem Cinema; a fabulous Art Deco style theatre that has captured the essence of the heyday of film and promises a future of great independent film viewing for the Salem audience.

While I thought I would be sad when theatre owner Loretta Miles made the move from under the Pringle Parkade to this new venue, but her attention to every detail, including incorporating sconces from the old Bligh’s Capitol Theatre into her décor has made the adjustment easy. I wish her much success in her new location, I know I will be there to watch many films and I am glad to see the arts playing such a vital role in the revitalization of this neighborhood. For more information about the Salem Cinema and what’s currently being screened, visit www.salemcinema.com. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.