This Mother’s Day weekend, there are plenty of places to make a handmade gift or find something crafted by a local artist. There are also dances, comedy shows and performances to fill your itinerary.
Plan for hot weather, with temperatures forecasted to reach 95 degrees on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Here’s your weekend roundup for Friday, May 12, through Sunday, May 14.
Make some art
Chemeketa Cellars is hosting a Mother’s Day watercolor session, where participants can enjoy local wine and paint a unique bouquet.
The event is Sunday, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the cellar’s Northwest Wine Studies Center, 215 Doaks Ferry Road N.W. in Salem.
Instructor Elisa Mack will teach artists of all levels process and painting techniques to complete a colorful piece to take home.
Materials, instructions and hors d’oeuvres are included in the $40 admission, with wine, beer, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and charcuterie available to purchase separately.
For more information or to register, visit the Chemeketa Cellars website.
Markets and festivals
Taste some maple syrup and learn more about the tapping process at the Oregon Bigleaf Maple Festival on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Oregon 4-H Center in west Salem, 5390 4-H Rd N.W.
The event includes maple syrup tastings, wood and wild food products, activities and games set to live Americana music.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children or $20 for a family per vehicle. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available online through the Oregon Tree Tappers.
The Salem Saturday Market continues near the Capitol mall, offering local produce and products between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 856 Marion St. N.E.
The Baby’s Bottom Dollar pop-up consignment sale offers discounted used baby and kids supplies, clothes and toys with special shopping times for teachers, new moms and foster parents.
The sale is from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Saturday at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. N.E.
Go dancing
Learn to jig at the 2nd Friday Ceili, a family dance event with live Irish music and dance. Instructors will reach basic steps, then call out instructions for group dances as the night progresses.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Friday with a basic lesson around 7:15 p.m. The live music starts at 8 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m.
Admission is $10 per person, and the dance is at VFW Hall, 630 Hood St. N.E. For more information, visit the Céilí of the Valley Society website.
Learn to salsa and bachata at Fork Forty Food Hall, with a lesson at 6:30 p.m., and a dance party at 7:30 p.m.
The event is for people 18 and over, with a $5 cover charge. The food hall is located downtown, at 440 State St. S.E.
Birdwatch
The Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge is hosting an event on Saturday to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.
The refuge will be unveiling its Motus tower, a new tool to track migrating birds, and will have kids activities, hikes, crafts and games.
The event will be from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m at 130 Ankeny Hill Road S.E.
Catch a show
On Friday, Classical Gershwin with the Oregon Symphony will perform a jazzy, bluesy and ragtime show featuring George Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major and Dmitri Shostakovich’s emotional 10th symphony.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium, 270 Winter St. S.E. Tickets start at $25. For more information or for tickets, visit the Oregon Symphony website.
The Chapel Hart trio from Mississippi have a tour stop at the Elsinore Theatre on Friday, bringing an energetic show with a full band.
“Chapel Hart has an amazing ability to tug on your heartstrings with a tender yet powerful ballad, then have you pumping your fist in unison to the pulse of hard-hitting music,” the theater’s website reads.
In 2021 the group was named among the Next Women of Country by CMT, formerly Country Music Television.
Tickets start at $30, and are available on the Elsinore website. The theater is located at 170 High St. S.E. in downtown Salem.
Comedian Rob Schneider will take the Elsinore stage on Saturday. The former Saturday Night Live cast member and star of dozens of comedy movies, often alongside Adam Sandler, is on a worldwide stand up tour.
Tickets start at $47, and are available online on the Elsinore’s website.
The Infinity Room is hosting a Mother’s Day comedy show featuring comedians Susan Rice and Eliza Butler. The show starts at 7 p.m. at 210 Liberty St. S.E. #150.
Tickets start at $15, and are available online.
It’s the last weekend to catch the Pentacle Theatre’s performance of “Rabbit Hole” continues this weekend. The Pulitzer-winning play explores finding meaning amid grief.
The Pentacle Theatre is at 324 52nd Ave. N.W., off Highway 22.
Ticket prices range from $17 to $37, with 50% discounts available to students, frontline healthcare workers and Oregon Trail Card holders. Tickets are available online, by calling 503-485-4300 or at the box office 45 minutes before the performance.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.