EVENTS: Hunt around Salem or catch a show this weekend
This weekend offers plenty of adventure in the Salem area, from a family-friendly scavenger hunt to a punk show and men’s roller derby tournament.
Here’s your guide to weekend events for July 14-16.
Scavenger hunt
Grab your friends, kids or other partners in crime for the third annual Salem/Keizer Scavenger Hunt, held Saturday, July 15.
The free event invites participants to solve a series of clues at locations around town, with an entry for a cash prize on successful completion. The event is intended to highlight local businesses and help build community, according to the website. All entrants are entered to win a $500 cash prize, and successfully completing the hunt means an entry for a $1,000 prize.
Participants can choose to play in Keizer, northeast Salem, west Salem or downtown. The downtown hunt is walkable. Register online here.
Family fun at Northgate
Fun Fridays are returning for the summer, with a kickoff event Friday, July 14, at Northgate Park, 3575 Fairhaven Ave. N.E.
The free event is put on by local family neighborhood councils and includes activities for kids, dinner, music, games, giveaways and information about local resources for families.
Friday’s event runs 4-7:30 p.m. and is focused on safety, health and dental care.
Men’s roller derby
Three men’s roller derby teams will compete Saturday in a round robin tournament at the Madhouse, 1335 Madison St. N.E.
The event is put on by the Eugene-based Lane County Concussion, and also features the Puget Sound Outcasts and Glenmore Reservoir Dogs. Games are at 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Live comedy and theater
Show your Salem pride at a City vs. City Comedy Smackdown, featuring 50 comics from 16 cities competing in a bracket style competition. The event begins Thursday, July 13, and runs through Sunday, July 16, at the Yard Food Park, 4106 State St. No cover for most events, but large tables can be reserved for a fee. See a schedule and more information here.
This weekend only, catch Theatre 33’s latest play, “Working for Crumbs,” a workplace comedy farce. “Grace and Amy are living for the crumbs of their soul-sucking job. But when calamity strikes and their boss chokes on an oatmeal raisin cookie, it creates a domino effect of destruction that brings down the corporate house,” the description says.
The play development company exclusively stages new plays at Willamette University’s Pelton Theatre, 900 State St. Shows are Thursday, July 13, through Saturday, July 15, at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free with a suggested $15 donation. Register to attend in advance online.
Keizer Homegrown Theatre’s production of “The Book of Will” opens Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. The play follows two actors who are determined to save Shakespeare’s plays after the playwright’s death. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and free for Oregon Trail Card holders. Buy tickets on the theater website.
Catch a punk show or hip-hop party
Infinity Room hosts a 90s and 2000s rap and hip-hop party Friday, July 14 with performances from Angel, Dobleon and Jordan Draper; and DJs StickySoundWaves and DJ Peso Bands. The event runs 7:30-10:30 p.m., with tickets $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Buy tickets online.
The punk band X will perform at the Elsinore on Saturday, July 15, with special guest The English Beat.
The band is known for influencing the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s, according to the Elsinore website. Their albums “Los Angeles” and “Wild Gift” are on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time list, and the band has an exhibit at the Grammy Museum.
The English Beat is a British band with 80s hits including “Save it for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom.”
The show starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $55, and are available online.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
