Garden tours, local concerts and a chance to sample the work of several Salem chefs gives the community lots of choices for the weekend.
Here’s a look at some of the events on the schedule.
Gardens and history
In about three hours on Saturday, you can tour at no cost three local gardens to learn their history, about the plants and even get gardening tips.
The common feature is they were each designed or influenced by Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver
According to the website of the Lord & Schryver Conservancy, the two “were the first women in the Pacific Northwest to own and operate their own landscape architecture firm, designing over 200 landscapes and gardens in the region between 1929 and 1969. In addition to landscape architecture, they were educators, writers, active civic participants, world travelers and women who successfully operated a business in a man’s world.”
The tour times and locations:
10 a.m. Saturday – Lord & Schryver Home Garden at Gaiety Hollow, 545 Mission St. S.E.
11 a.m. Saturday – Tartar Old Rose Collection at Bush’s Pasture Park. Meet in front of the Bush House Museum, 600 Mission St. S.E.
Noon Saturday – The estate at Deepwood Museum & Gardens, 1116 Mission St. S.E.
“A docent volunteer (guide) who is extremely knowledgeable about the gardens will start a walking tour,” according to Yvonne Putze of Friends of Deepwood. “The docent will talk about the history of the gardens. Each of the tours will have different information as the three locations each have very different elements that showcase the design work and talent of Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. It’s also an opportunity to ask about plant species seen along the way as they are based on the historical plantings.”
There will be time to move from one tour to the other, organizers say, and participants don’t have to participate in all three.
Take a drive – see the blossoms
Finally, the cherry trees are in blossom and the Salem Auto Club Council has a way for you to see plenty of them.
The club’s annual Cherry Blossom Poker Run for begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at Walery’s Pizza in west Salem and concludes at the Antique Powerland Museum in Brooks. The event is open to the public. For more information visit salemautoclubcouncil.org.
RELATED COLUMN: Auto club continues Salem tradition with cherry blossom tour Saturday
A film and audience questions
Salem will get Oregon’s only showing of “ITHAKA,” a documentary about Julian Assange’s ongoing legal battle and his family’s efforts to help as the WikiLeaks founder fights extradition to the U.S.
Show time: 7 p.m. Friday, April 14.
Added benefit: Assange’s father and brother, John and Gabriel Shipton, will hold an in-person Q&A after the showing.
Location: Salem Cinema, 1127 Broadway St. N.E.
Tickets: $15 for all. Tickets can be bought online or at the theater.
RELATED STORY: Julian Assange’s family to speak in Salem as he fights extradition to U.S.
Grab a fork and a mug
From bakeries to brew pubs, from burgers to sandwiches, Chefs’ Night Out has 48 venues to sip and sample on Sunday, April 16.
The event, put on by Marion Polk Food Share, goes from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Salem Convention Center. You can find a list of the entities providing the food and drink here. Live music will be provided as well by the Orvil Ivie Duo and Mark Seymour and Friends.
Because of the pandemic, the event has been on hold since it was last held in 2019. The event also typically was held in October. This is one of Marion Polk Food Share’s major fundraisers during the year
Tickets are $75 and can be bought at the door or online.
‘Star Wars’ music concert
Salem Symphonic Winds will play “The Blue Marble,” a symphony and accompanying film by composer Julie Giroux, selections from “Star Wars” by John Williams and Symphonies of Gaia by composer Jayce Ogren.
Show time: 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, with a pre-show by The Ventus Quartet at 2:40 p.m
Location: The Rose Auditorium at South Salem High School, 700 Howard St. S.E..
Tickets: Available online, with reserved seating for $25 and general admission for $20. The show is $15 for seniors, $10 for students and $5 for people under 18. People with Oregon Trail Cards can get tickets for $5 after 2:15 p.m. on Sunday.
RELATED STORY: Salem Symphonic Winds to perform immersive celebration of Earth
Another concert – two shows
Salem Philharmonia Orchestra will perform twice under conductor John Carter and featuring pianist Crystal Zimmerman of Willamette University. Pieces for a program called “Eastern European Romanticism” from Bedrich Smetana, Franz Liszt and Antonin Dvorak will be performed.
Show time: 7 p.m. Saturday, April 15, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 16.
Added benefit: A pre-concert talk will start 45 minutes ahead of each performance
Location: East Salem Community Center, 1850 45th Ave. N.E.
Tickets: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, free for those under 17. Tickets can be bought online.
Music and helping with Alzheimer’s
Festival Chorale Oregon will host a benefit concert and community discussion focusing on Alzheimer’s awareness, with a portion of proceeds going to Alzheimer’s Association Oregon & SW Washington Chapter.
The concert is Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories.
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 16, doors at 3:30 p.m.
Added benefit: A discussion with composer Robert Cohen on 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15. There is no charge for this talk.
Location: Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St S.E.
Cost: Available online or at the box office $38 for reserved mezzanine seating, $28 for general admission, $23 for seniors, $13 for students.
How about some comedy?
Theatre at Willamette University on Friday, April 14, opens a run of its staging of “Blithe Spirit,” a comic play by Noel Coward.
As described on the theatre’s website: “Charles Condomine invites his friends and the batty spiritualist Madame Arcati to his estate for a “research” séance. Only Charles can see what happens next – the ghost of his first wife returns from the dead! Did we mention his house mate … his current wife Ruth?”
When: Friday’s opening gala sold out. The show stages again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A matinee is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Location: M. Lee Pelton Theatre, 900 State St.
Sunday, April 16. The play continues through April 29.
Tickets: $14 for general admission, $12 for seniors, $9 for students. Available online, at the box office or can be ordered by phone at 503-370-6221.
HAVE EVENT INFORMATION? Send an email to [email protected], including contact information.
STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE TO GET SALEM NEWS – We report on your community with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Get local news that matters to y
